Week 18: Let Him In

¡Familia y Amigos!

This week has been SO amazing! I am feeling extra grateful to my
Heavenly Father for sending me to Missouri especially after this last
week! It truly has my heart!

So last Saturday our investigator got baptized! Everything was perfect
except we left our phone at the Visitor Center, but it was the only
hiccup so cant complain! After she was baptized, she told us she felt
so amazing! She was really excited to get confirmed on Sunday :)
Hermana Baggett and I sang 'Be Still My Soul' a cappella after she was
baptized and she bore her testimony and I cannot believe the change
that has happened in her since we first met her! This gospel really
does bless lives! She was confirmed on Sunday and is beyond excited to
go to the temple in a couple of weeks!

Yesterday we had the INCREDIBLE opportunity to go and visit some of
the other church sites here in Missouri. We started our day at
Adam-ondi-Ahman and WOW. The spirit there was so powerful! We went on
a tour around the grounds and before we left to go to Far West, we got
about 10 minutes to ourselves to just ponder about the spirit we felt
and the things we had learned and I cannot begin to express the
feelings of deepest gratitude I have being a missionary, serving with
some of the most incredible Elders and Sisters, and sharing the
Saviors gospel everyday in Zion! I've said it before and I'll keep
saying it: there is truly no place I would rather be than on a
mission! We went to Far West and saw the Temple site there and talked
about some of the history there to be better acquainted with it for
the guests who come to the visitor center and it was amazing! We ended
our trip with a tour of the Liberty Jail and the spirit there was SO
strong. It truly reminded me of how some of the hardest things we go
through are the biggest learning experience we could ever have, and
that The Lord will never forget us. I testify that that is true. This
is the most incredible place and I feel so blessed the Lord has asked
me to represent the Savior here in Missouri!

Then to top off the week we had our weekly training meeting for the
visitor center and Sister Toronto, the Visitor center director was on
the general YW board for a while and over heard all of us Sisters
before we watched conference talking about how much we love Sister
Elaine S. Dalton, and the impact she had on our lives, and being a
dear friend of hers, we had a 30 minute training and then Sister
Dalton called Sister Toronto and we just got to listen to her speak.
What an amazing opportunity! One of the greatest experiences hearing
her bare her testimony and sharing her thoughts with

2.0
One of the Elders who left home this morning, bore his testimony at
zone conference, and something he said hit me so strongly, and has
been on mind for a couple of weeks now. To paraphrase he said:  'The
last thing I told my parents before I left on my mission was that I
would serve faithfully and work hard, but I would come home the same
person and I couldn't have been more wrong. Missions don't change
people. The atonement of Jesus Christ changes people, missions are
simply the green house for change, but the atonement of Jesus Christ
is what changes us.'

I am not the same person I was four months ago, and I can testify that
it is only through and because of the Atonement that I have changed
and will continue to change everyday for the rest of my life. His
atonement is real. It is the only thing that gives me enough strength
to keep going when I feel I have nothing left to give. It is the only
way I can change and become who I am needed to be so that the Lord can
work through me.

His atonement is real. If you let him, he can change you. My
invitation to you all is to let him in. He can heal you faster than
anyone or anything else.

I hope you all have a week full of miracles!

¡Abrazos y Oraciones!

Hermana/Sister Hunt

Week 17: You Know You're a Missionary When...

¡Familia y Amigos!

Holy cow! This week has been crazy!! It was a spiritual FEAST!

So last Friday we had Zone Conference from 7:30 in the morning and didn't get back to the Visitor Center until 6! But it was a full day of spiritual trainings and SOO good! A whole lot of revelation and most of the things that were touched on we're also talked about in Conference.... The spirit is so real! 

Then CONFERENCE!!!!-- Someone once said that General Conference is like the super bowl for missionaries... SO TRUE and I LOVED IT!!!! We got super lucky to be able to watch all four sessions at the Visitor Center! I love that we can all here the same message and get personal revelation for us! Just like Larry R Lawrence spoke about! I Hope you all watched conference and set goals to improve! If you didn't watch them all, find time and do it! If you make time for the Lord you will be blessed in all other things!

So Last night was AMAZING!! We took our investigator ,that's getting baptized Saturday,  to the Kansas City Temple and we taught her the last lesson at the temple and it was the most incredible experience I have had on my mission thus far! She is so excited and I feel so blessed to have been able to teach her and watch her testimony grow! The Lord has great things in store for her! 

Also missionary moment of the week: Hermana Baggett and I went to get gas and we stopped at a gas station that we never go to to fill up and I even pulled through 3 different spots and we get to the pump and when we fill up the car, we check the tire pressure in each tire and the oil, and while we were doing this a man pulled up in his truck behind us and was watching these two 19 year old girls in skirts and he asked if we knew that our car could tell us when the pressure was low, and we told him that we don't own the car and signed a contract that we would do those things every time we fill it up and we got to talking and he shared with us about his faith in Jesus Christ and we got to talking and we offered him a Book of Mormon, and he politely said no, and then said 'But you know what you can leave me with? A word of Prayer!' So Hermana Baggett and I and this Man were standing by the gas pump at QT praying. And then we ended up giving him a family proclamation with our information on it! And as crazy and strange as that may sound, I know it wasn't a coincidence! Which is a perfect lead in to this weeks 2.0

2.0 

Heavenly Father and the Savior are so personal! They are each so involved in our daily lives! I can testify to you all that They are both there, walking this life with each of you and your personal struggles and successes. Do not give up! Heavenly Father is one prayer away. Poor your heart out to him. I can also testify to you all that the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ is real, it is personal, and I know He felt what He felt for you and me personally and He knows exactly how to comfort you. If you turn to him, trust him and keep going I can promise there are better days ahead. 

I love you all and hope you have a week full of miracles!

Abrazos y Oraciones 

Hermana/Sister Hunt

Week 16: The Power of Prayer

¡Familia y Amigos!

I hope you all had a great week this last week!

So I don't have much time because I didn't realize how long it took me to write the rest of my emails so sorry about the short one! But this week has been such a crazy one!

So our investigator who's on date for the 10th, came to her lesson and we were going to teaching her lesson three and the word of wisdom, and we asked how her day/week was going and she says 'it's been ok, but it's really hard quitting smoking.' I'm pretty sure Hermana Baggett and I's jaws were on the floor! She went on to tell us she hasn't smoked since the 17th and wanted to quit because she knew she couldn't get baptized if she was smoking, so she just quit...She is so prepared and her testimony is growing so much! But if you could all keep her in your prayers as she continues to quit smoking that would be awesome! 

Also miracle from this morning! Hermana Baggett taught a woman here in her first transfer who just moved here from the Dominican Republic and they taught her and she was on date, but she went out of town three weeks into the transfer, so when I was back in Kansas!, and we got a text from her daughter this morning saying she just got home this morning so we set up an appointment for Saturday and we are so excited! So pray for Hermana Baggett That she will be able to understand our Spanish! I'm so excited to finally meet her and help teach her! Such a blessing!

All in all it was a pretty great week!

2.0

Prayer is SO powerful. Every time you offer a prayer it is heard by your Heavenly Father. He is so aware of each of us! If you ever feel like you're just at a lull or that you just can't handle whatever is going on in your life, get on your knees and express exactly how your feeling to your Heavenly Father. Whatever it is, he cares. He will listen, and he will comfort you, he will strengthen you as you lean on his Son's perfect atonement. When it gets hard, don't give up on him. He will never give up on you.

I love you all and hope you are as excited for general conference this weekend! Don't forget to write down your questions, and go into each session with faith they will be answered and a prayer in your heart, I promise you'll hear a message that's just for you! 

Hope you have a week full of Miracles!

¡Abrazos y Oraciones!

Hermana/Sister Hunt

Week 15: Miracles

¡Familia y Amigos!

So transfers: I'm staying here in Independence with Hermana Baggett, and we are still in the Visitor Center as well! Such a blessing, and we are excited for the great things in store for this transfer! Even though we didn't get transferred, we moved to a different house so that was an adventure, but it's been way fun!

So last Wednesday, Hermana Baggett and I were teaching our miracle investigator that came to church, and we invited her to be baptized and she said yes! Her scheduled date is October 10th and she is progressing so well! She is so prepared and really looking forward to these next couple of weekends with General Conference! She's truly amazing!

We have been so blessed! Yesterday, we went to contact a referral in an apartment complex and he wasn't interested, and we needed to go back to the Visitor Center before shift to do language study, and we have been focusing on daily contacting as a zone and so we had set a goal of one because we only go to be in our area for about 15 minutes due to district meeting and we decided to try to talk to a couple people and one of the people we ran into spoke only Spanish! So it was so cool to use Spanish and I understood the whole conversation! I also had a little bit of input! It was amazing! We found out he's in a different Ward, but he is really excited to meet the missionaries! Miracles of pressing on!

Well I don't have much time, but o do have enough time to give a 2.0!

2.0

Being.a Missionary has made me the happiest I have ever been in my life. Alma put into words how I feel: "I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy.

"And behold, when I see many of my brethren truly penitent, and coming to the Lord their God, then is my soul filled with joy; then do I remember what the Lord has done for me, yea, even that he hath heard my prayer; yea, then do I remember his merciful arm which he extended towards me." 

As I serve and see these people change I have grown so much and I have realized that my call here to Missouri is not just by chance. This is exactly where the lord needs me right now and I would not rather be anywhere else! I know that as I see these people change and grow closer to the Savior that I am reminded I wouldn't be here without his atonement. Through his atonement and trials, he molds us into who Heavenly Father sees me as becoming, and I am forever grateful. I hope you all know that I love this work. I have a testimony of this gospel and how it can change and shape lives. 

I hope you all have an amazing week full of miracles!

¡Abrazos y Oraciones!

Hermana Hunt

Week 14: Make it Count

¡Familia y Amigos!

This week has been so crazy and absolutely amazing! We saw so many miracles and I just feel so blessed!

So we have a couple of investigators who are super awesome! One of them is praying about her Baptism date which is so good! Our other was literally a miracle, that I will talk about later and we also found a family this week and have gotten in contact with some Less actives we haven't been able to get in contact with all transfer-- so probably one of the most amazing weeks on my mission thus far! Only hard part is transfers are Thursday! We find out tonight where everyone is going/coming/staying. Sister Baggett and I are really hoping for the 3rd option! It's such a blessing to have such a strong companion, but it is in the Lords hands and I know He sees the whole picture and will put me where he needs me! Also means my p-day will either be Thursday if I stay at the visitor center, or Monday if I go back full proselyting!

So Miracle investigator story-- so the Stake I'm serving in has a goal from the Stake President to have 20 baptisms in the month of September, so 2 baptisms per ward and one per set of missionaries, and in our mission investigators have to be able to come to church twice in order to be baptized and Sister Baggett and I have been praying for a miracle since the beginning of the transfer. Well this last Sunday was the only Sunday left for them to be able to make it to church to be baptized this month, and we had only had our one investigator who has been coming to church, but she won't be baptized in September and Saturday night came and we invited 3 of our investigators to church and they sounded really solid about coming. Well Sunday came and we waited and they didn't come. We were pretty bummed, but we had great faith and knew we would be able to find those prepared individuals who were ready to receive the gospel. Well after sacrament meeting, this woman comes up to us and tells us she has been going to another ward, but felt like she really needed to come back to her assigned ward and that she needed to be directed to where gospel principles was because she brought her non-member mother-in-law and she she wants to learn more about the gospel. I could have burst into tears right then me there we were so excited and I know God answered our prayers! So she came to all three meetings and we had been trying to get someone to come to an appointment at the VC because Sister Baggett and I didn't have a car Sunday night and her and her Mother in law said they were free and would love to come! So she came to the VC and we talked about temples and took her through "God's Plan for His Family" and we invited her to take the lessons and she said yes! We cannot wait to teach her!  So basically we had tender mercy after tender mercy this week really. I know God answers our prayers and that if we have faith he can make anything happen!

2.0 

This transfer has flown by and I know that everything that happened has helped me learn and grow and become better. As I have been reflecting on all of the miracles and ways I have seen the ward grow and our investigators change as they learn about the gospel, I realize that time is so precious and so short. I know that God is aware of each of us. No matter how much time we spend with people, we can learn to love them and we can learn so much from them. So make every moment you have with those around you count. Serve them, love them, and learn from them.

I am so blessed and humbled to be a missionary. I learn to love his work more and more every week and I hope that all of you take time everyday to strengthen your relationship with your Heavenly Father and your Savior, Jesus Christ. They love you and they can help you through anything in your life. I love you all and hope you have a week full of miracles!

¡Abrazos y Oraciones!

Hermana Hunt 

Week 13: Find Out for Yourself

Week 13: Find Out For Yourself.

 

¡Familia y Amgios!

 

I don't have much time, but this week was amazing! All in all everyday I am here I see more and more of how truly involved in our lives Heavenly Father and the Savior are. It is such a privilege to be serving here in Missouri, and I know I say this a lot, but I cannot imagine being anywhere else right now! I have never experienced such an emotional, amazing, stressful and joyous responsibility in my life, but I wouldn't trade it for the world.

 

The 2.0 this week is something that has been weighing on my mind so much lately as I have been studying and praying about what I can share with you all.

 

2.0

In Helaman 5:12 it says: "And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall."

We must build our lives on the Savior. We live in a crazy world where the adversary is sending those winds and storms, and we cannot withstand them in any other way than having a firm testimony of the Savior, Jesus Christ. I love His gospel so much because it is encouraged for anyone and everyone to find out if it is true for themselves. Why is it so important and so stressed to have our own testimony? It is important because there will come a time in everyone of our lives, when all we'll have to fall back on is our testimony and faith in Jesus Christ. When that day comes we need to be ready, so I pose the challenge, find out. If you haven't found out find out. Study out his word, think about it, pray about it and I can testify to you that you will receive an answer. This is his work. I am truly humbled and so blessed to be a missionary! I know I am guided everyday in my efforts and that the Lord watches over me. I pray everyday that all of you can see his hand working miracles in your life! I know he is there, you just have to seek him out.

 

I love you all and am so blessed with the most amazing support and love! Hope you can feel my prayers for you!

 

Have a week full of miracles!

 

¡Abrazos y Oraciones!

 

Hermana/Sister Hunt

 

 

Week 12: He Can Change Us

¡Hola Familia y amigos!

 

This week has been emotional, crazy, stressful, and absolutely awesome! Mission life

 

So I don't have much time so here's some of the craziness!

 

On Wednesday, we found out someone tried to break into our house! Crazy stuff right (don't worry mom, we were all safe and they didnt get in! It was all the prayers coming from our families that protected us!) but we got a new door and everything so yeah that was pretty crazy! One day this week we met with our previous Bishop and they have a family friend who came to the VC and we watched Gods plan for His Family and we invited her to take the lessons and she said she was interested! We are meeting with her this week and are super stoked! Another day I was having a pretty rough day just feeling pretty down and I felt like I needed to have a blessing. So we had a meeting with the Elders and our new Bishop and at the end I asked for a blessing. I love the power of the priesthood. I know that God speaks to us personally when we receive a blessing! It was exactly what I needed to hear! We had a ward party right after and there was an amazing turn out! A lot of the people we have been working with were able to make it! It was awesome! Sunday night we had a crazy awesome experience! We weren't supposed to be at the VC, but we were down a car so we worked on our Areabook. So about an hour after we got there, the Senior Elder on shift, comes downstairs and tells us there was a women upstairs who wanted to talk with us, so we went up and come to find out this women walked into the visitor center looking for a way to be closer to God and was in our area! We taught her the first lesson and invited her to be baptized and she accepted! We set up a return appointment and were so grateful to meet her and start teaching her! So then Monday we went to go to our appointment and couldn't find her house and we called her and she said it was the right address, and come to find out when they looked up her address, it wasn't in our area, so she is being taught by another set of Sisters who are actually over her area! It was a crazy ordeal, but such an amazing experience teaching her and getting to know her! And this morning we went on a mini exchange and Sister Hembold and I got to hangout together for P-day while our companions went to the temple, because we went at the beginning of last transfer! But ya! All in all it was a crazy week full of some super awesome miracles and learning opportunities, and guys, I LOVE being a missionary!

 

2.0

We have a tendency to have a mindset that we just are the way we are and there's no way to change that. This is one of Satans biggest lies. I can tell you that through the atonement of Jesus Christ, those things can be changed. I have been studying a lot this week about being changed through the atonement to become the person God sees us as. It isn't easy, but I know that as we turn ourselves and our hearts over to the Lord and let him shape us into who he needs and sees us as, we will draw closer to him. Remember he's only a prayer away.

 

I hope you all strive to find ways to come closer to your Savior everyday. He loves you and is with you always. I love you all so much! I pray you see a week full of miracles!

 

¡Te quiero mucho!

 

Hermana Hunt

 

                                               Someone tried to break into our apartment!