Week 54: Becoming

¡Familia y Amigos!

Happy Independence Day!! So grateful for all those fought and continue to fight for the cause of freedom!

This week has been a crazy one, and I just wanted to say thank you to all the members out there who are willing to drive the missionaries to appointments,  pick those they are teaching up for church, fellowshipping returning brothers and sisters, and for those members who are willing to try someone else when appointments fall through.
You make all the difference in our lives!

One of our members reminded me this week as we apologized for the crazy changes in our appointments "That's missionary work! Sometimes it all falls into place and other times it doesn't. That's why it's called work".

So this week I'm grateful for members! And through all the craziness I learned a whole lot about one thing: becoming.

2.0
This transfer I have been working on the Christlike attribute of Humility, and as I was studying this week I came across a talk by Elder D. Todd Christofferson entitled "As Many as I Love, I Rebuke and Chasten" form the April 2011 General Conference. (If you have a chance, read it!)

In the beginning of the talk he quotes Elder Dallin H. Oaks

"The final judgement... Is the final effects of our acts and
thoughts-- what we have become."

And it hit me.

Becoming.

Sure we can fill up a jars on end full of good deeds and good things, but if we fail to become like our Savior and our Heavenly Father, we have missed the mark. We are not just asked to do things, we are asked to become.

So this week I realized that I have forgotten for a short while that the Lord wants to change my very nature.

He doesn't just want me to put on a name tag everyday: He wants me learn how to remember the Savior always, even when I take the tag off.

He doesn't just want me follow the rules to say I was obedient: He wants me to follow the rules so that he can more fully bless me, strengthen my faith, and help me learn to follow him.

He doesn't just want me to go out and teach people about the gospel for 18 months, just to say I did it: He wants me to go out and preach the gospel everyday because I have learned for myself that it is living the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, that makes people happy, and in the end what brings us home to our Heavenly Father.

And he knows that that change only comes as I allow the atonement to work in my life, or in other words-- repent.

So to all of you, I ask you to let the Lord change you. Live his gospel, not just to check off a to-do list, or fill up a jar, but let it become a part of who you are. He has a far greater knowledge of who you are and, through his Son, who you are capable to become.

Matthew 16: 25-26 says:

25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

May we all lose ourselves to become ourselves through Christ.

Love you all and hope you have a week full of miracles!

Abrazos y Oraciones

Hermana/Sister Kim Hunt

Week 55: Discipleship

¡Familia y Amigos!

Wow! This week has been crazy!! (Also this is gonna be a long one
folks!) Exchanges, Zone Training, Moving -- we've had an adventure!
Also transfers are this week, and I have a hunch that I won't be staying.. .But all is well and we will see! the Lord knows what he is doing!

We had exchanges Tuesday and I went to Olathe with Sister Flake and it was so good!! I've dreamed of serving there for a long time, so it was be in the Ward for a day :)

Then Wednesday one of our members called us and told us that the people who they were living with told them they needed to be out of the house by Friday and so they enlisted us and the Elders to come help them move. From Wednesday to Thursday we spent about 7-8 hours helping them move. It was nuts but we had dinner with them Saturday night and everything was all done :)

Then Friday we had Zone Training, and it was really good! We talked about miracles and the faith we need to have as a mission to see and have miracles! Just what our Zone needed!! Also found out Elder Neil A. Anderson is coming to our mission next Monday for an all mission conference!! Super excited :)

Also after Zone training Sister Rowley received a training call, and so we arranged that I went on exchanges with another sister Saturday morning while our companions went to the trainers meeting.
Just before we exchanged, we got a text from my zone leaders in my last Zone letting me know my investigator from Albany was getting baptized Sunday -- DAY MADE!! I knew she would be baptized :) President Vest gave me permission to talk with her on the phone yesterday and She was so happy and doing so good :) grateful for the gospel, and that work continues even after we leave :)

We were so excited for our Saturday because we had 5 solid appointments and 4 members were planning on coming out with us, but EVERY. SINGLE. PERSON. CANCELLED. Kind of a Sad day, but you know, they happen! It was pretty short lived because...our investigator came to church yesterday!! He is the Dad of those two little girls I sent a picture of a few weeks ago, and another miracles- WE GOT THE GIRLS TO GO TO PRIMARY!!

They are pretty attached to their parents and apparently they have cried and thrown fits every time they take them, BUT the Lord blessed us with enough Spanish to talk them both into going, and they did so good! Sister Rowley and I had to stay in primary to translate for the little girls since all the primary leaders speak English, but they really liked it!!

2.0
Lots and Lots of thoughts this week, but one that really stood out to me is about discipleship.

In October 2012 Elder Holland, gave a conference Talk called 'The First Great Commandment'

In the talk, Elder Holland goes through and points out an elaboration of what the conversation between Christ and Peter was like in John 21.

So to make it more personal I took My Favorite part from this talk and inserted my name:

"...[Sister Hunt] said for the third time, “Lord, … thou knowest that I love thee."

    To which Jesus responded (and here again I acknowledge my nonscriptural elaboration), perhaps saying something like: “Then [Sister Hunt], why are you here? Why are we back on this same shore, by these same nets, having this same conversation? Wasn’t it obvious then and isn’t it obvious now that if I want fish, I can get fish?
What I need, [Sister Hunt], are disciples--and I need them forever. I need someone to feed my sheep and save my lambs. I need someone to preach my gospel and defend my faith. I need someone who loves me, truly, truly loves me, and loves what our Father in Heaven has commissioned me to do. Ours is not a feeble message. It is not a fleeting task. It is not hapless; it is not hopeless; it is not to be consigned to the ash heap of history. It is the work of Almighty God, and it is to change the world. So, [Sister Hunt], for the second and presumably the last time, I am asking you to leave all this and to go teach and testify, labor and serve loyally...”

Christ needs disciples.

He needs people who are willing to defend his faith, even when it's unpopular.

In short, Christ needs all of us to love him enough to follow him, not just when it is easy, but always.

So I have been thinking this week, I am truly a committed follower, or am I going back to my nets? I know that sacrifice is part of discipleship, but I know that it is always worth it.

Grateful to be a missionary. I know that Christ lives. His church is on the earth today. It had been restored through a prophet. I know that we can choose to follow Christ right now. There are blessings waiting, so keep going.

Love you all and hope you have a week full of miracles!

Abrazos y Oraciones

Hermana/Sister Kim Hunt

Week 53: What You Can Give

¡Familia y Amigos! 

This week has been so crazy!! We were so blessed to have so many appointments this week and we were constantly in a hurry to go everywhere we needed to be! It is such a blessing to have so many people to see and visit! 

One of the highlights of the week was seeing our investigators!! We had a rough time getting members to come out with us this week because we don't have very many English people who are active, but none the less our lessons were amazing! It's weird getting into an English teaching pool and then having to switch to a Spanish lesson! Haha some days my Brian is really confused, but it's getting better :)

A little funny for the week: so one of our investigators is dating one of the less active's in the Ward, and they have 2 little girls and for our lesson we had an FHE about family prayer. One of the little girls just turned three, and they invited us to eat with them after the lesson, and they had pizza and this HUGE pastel! 

(Side note: I recently found out I might be gluten and dairy intolerant, so that's been quite the adjustment, but I feel a whole lot better and am super grateful for our mission nurse for helping me out!) 

well since that's the case, I couldn't eat what they had and so the Hermano made me some flautas and beans to eat. Well I wasn't eating fast enough, and I also feel like I have a gift to bring out all the inner sass in small children, she drops her pizza on her plate, points her finger at me and says: "VAS A COMER!!!" Which basically translates to you are gonna eat!! She did it about 6 times throughout the dinner Haha it was pretty funny! A little later on I tried to explain to her in Spanish that I was only learning and asked for her help and she just started asking me a bunch of questions and laughed every time I answered! I feel so grateful to be serving the people here :)

2.0

This week I have been reflecting on the notes that I took when Elder Hamula came and visited a couple of weeks ago. 

He said: "You need to stop focusing on who you are not and focus on what you can give.r

Coming into this area I was really nervous about speaking Spanish, and as a missionary in general, worried about all of my weaknesses. 

The Lord does want us to improve, to strengthen our weaknesses, but that does not mean we simply toss every other strength and talent he has given us to bless others, in order to overcome weakness.

What the Lord wants, is everything we do have. He gives us our weaknesses that we may be humble (Ether 12:27) but the Lord gives us strengths to help our brothers and sisters around us draw closer to him and feel of his love. 

So that is my invitation to you all this week. Pray and ask the Lord what you can give, and then act. I know he will bless you and you seek to find your life as you lose it in the service to those around you.

Love you all and hope you have a week full of miracles!

Abrazos y Oraciones 

Hermana/Sister Hunt

Week 52: Fellowship of the Unshamed

¡Familia y Amigos!

This week was amazing! There really aren't words to describe the love and peace I have felt this week and the strengthened faith I have felt.

Elder James J. Hamula, of the Seventy, came to our mission this week.
We were blessed to be able to spend almost an entire day with him! He taught us so much! And a lot of what he taught I don't think I could convey in words to you all. But one thing he did talk about was repentance.

He said 'Repentance is turning away from ourselves, and the desires of the natural man, and turning to Christ.'

Something so simple, but when put into effect, brings incredible changes.

The missionaries who are going home at the end of the transfer also bore their testimonies and one of them really got me thinking.

He told a simple story that changed his mission. An Elder earlier on in his mission gave him his one piece of advice and said 'Don't be afraid to let your mission change you.'

As he said that I reflected on the last year of my mission and all of the changes that have happened and the things I have learned. And I realized that the times when I have truly been the happiest, have been when I have let the Lord shape me.

It's easy to stay who we are. It is easier to simply settle, to role with the punches, but that is not Gods plan. We are so much more that just creatures of circumstance. God intended us to come to earth, to gain experience, and through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, change and become the person that the Lord sees us to be.

So as i left Zone Conference, I committed to let the Lord change me.
It is when we aline our will with the Lord that he can bring about he miracles that he has in store for our lives.

2.0
My 2.0 for this week is a poem by President Henry B. Erying. (It's the attachment #1)

Our Zone Leaders shared this with us this last week and it really expressed the conviction that I want to feel in my life as I fight for the Savior's cause.

Week 51: A Year to Remember

¡Familia y Amigos!

Wow this week had been crazy!! We are so blessed to have so much work to do here in this area!!

I don't have much time this week, but this week I am grateful for patient members and a patience companion who laugh at my goofy Spanish mistakes and are helping me learn more! I am grateful for the Lords timing! He is truly preparing the hearts of people everywhere to here the gospel in their lives.

We had a really Incredible lesson with our investigator this week, and she is seriously considering baptism. She is really seeking an answer for herself and it has been incredible to watch her grow this last week and a half! So hopefully she will have her answer this week as we meet with her!

2.0
Well the year mark has come and gone. I cannot believe or even begin describe what an amazing, life changing, challenging, rewarding, stressful, incredible 100% worth it time I have had as a missionary.

I have grown closer to my Savior and my Heavenly Father. I have come to know more fully that I know and believe this gospel to be true with all my heart. I know that our Heavenly Father has a perfect plan for all of us.

And as this year has come and gone, I am grateful for the next 6 months I have left to grow and learn even more. I know the Lord shapes us and helps us grow as we allow him to work in our lives. And I can't wait to see what all he has left in store for me and those who, I will meet.

I love this gospel and I would not want to be anywhere else than here on my mission. It's truly been a year to remember!

Love you al and Hope you have a week full of miracles!

Abrazos y Oraciones

Hermana/Sister Hunt

Week 50: Spanish Area

¡Familia y Amigos! 

This is gonna be a long one folks because this has been the craziest miracle filled week of my ENTIRE mission!!

So transfers: Sister Whitehead and I thought we were for sure staying together in Albany! We were so positive, we didn't even tell the members it was transfer week! But we got the transfer roster, and they white-washed (when they send two new missionaries come into an area) with Elders! HUGE shock!! (pictures attached) I shed a few tears, but they were short lived because......

I AM SERVING IN THE ONLY COMPLETELY SPANISH AREAS IN THE MISSION!!!! I have been praying so hard to be sent here since my first transfer!! And my recent convert from my second area when I was serving with Hna. Baggett, moved into this Ward shortly after I left and so I get to work with her again! 

She is part of my crazy miracle filled week! She has been lost since she moved here! Hna. Baggett was a sister training leader over the area and they would always try her on exchanges but her and the sisters who have been here have never been able to find her since November and first day in the area-- we found out she moved and it was the biggest miracle!! We have an appointment with her on Tuesday! She is now married and we might start teaching her husband!!! I know that the Lord is involved in our lives!

I cannot even begin to describe how excited I am to be here!! We are in a Ward, and our area is in Kanas City, Kanas (it borders my other Spanish area that is in Kansas City, Missouri) and we work with mostly Spanish speakers, and i have forgotten A LOT of my Spanish, but I am remembering more everyday! Church yesterday was incredible!! I cannot wait to get to know and love the people here!!

I also got bit by a dog this week, so I guess I am officially a real missionary now, after a year! Haha! It didn't brake the skin but it did leave a nice bruise! Haha we were at a fiesta for our dinner and the dog got out of its cage somehow, and at first I didn't realize what was happening, and then Sis. Rowley screamed and I realized it was biting me, so I knocked it pretty good with a chair. It was really funny and all the people were probably thinking we were just some crazy gringas!! Haha it was really funny! 

My companion's name is Sister Rowley! She's from Herriman, UT and we have served around each other for 7 months at the beginning of our missions, and she also came out with me!! SOO FUN!! We lived together when I was serving in Liberty, and I am super excited to see what miracles are in store for this transfer!!

We have an investigator who is on date to be baptized on June 25th, and several others who are progressing towards making a date! The members are great, and we get fed every night! (Lots of super yummy Latin food!!) I am so beyond grateful to be here!! And I know that the Lord has a plan for this area!! 

2.0

This week I just wanted to share my testimony of prayer. I know that the Lord hears and answers our prayers! He is watching out for every single one of us. No matter or trials, our struggles, even our deep gratitude, He cares and he does listen. I am grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who knows me, and I am so grateful that we have been given prayer to talk with him one on one whenever and wherever. I would invite you all to take time during your prayers this week and really talk to your Heavenly Father. He wants to hear from you and he loves you. 

Love you all and Hope you all have a week full of miracles!

Abrazos y Oraciones 

Hermana/Sister Hunt

Week 49: Touch of the Master's Hand

¡Familia y Amigos!

I can't believe it is already Monday!! It's also that time again...
Transfers are this Thursday! I am not sure what's going to happen because the longest I have ever stayed is just 2 transfers, so we'll see if Albany is the first place I stay longer!

Well this week was crazy! We had some super amazing miracles! We have some investigators who are doing really well and progressing, and one of our Less Active's that has been worked with for a while came to church yesterday!! It was the first time she's been since I have been here, but the spirit was amazing at sacrament! I am grateful to see how this truly is the Lords work, and I am beyond humbled that he lets me help him.


2.0
So another Poem this week. I recently studied a Talk given by Boyd K.
Packer titled 'The Touch of the Masters Hand'. The longer I am on my mission, the more I realize that I am a very imperfect person. I have many flaws and weaknesses, but in turn I have also learned: There is hope! We have hope because we have a Savior, who can 'make weak things become strong'. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer Thought it scarcely worth his while To waste much time on the old violin, But held it up with a smile:
“What am I bidden, good folks,” he cried, “Who’ll start the bidding for me?”
“A dollar, a dollar”; then, “Two!” “Only two?
Two dollars, and who’ll make it three?
Three dollars, once; three dollars, twice; Going for three—” But no, From the room, far back, a gray-haired man Came forward and picked up the bow; Then, wiping the dust from the old violin, And tightening the loose strings, He played a melody pure and sweet As a caroling angel sings.
The music ceased, and the auctioneer,
With a voice that was quiet and low,
Said, “What am I bid for the old violin?”
And he held it up with the bow.
“A thousand dollars, and who’ll make it two?
Two thousand! And who’ll make it three?
Three thousand, once, three thousand, twice, And going, and gone!” said he.
The people cheered, but some of them cried, “We do not quite understand What changed its worth.” Swift came the reply:
“The touch of a master’s hand.”
And many a man with life out of tune,
And battered and scarred with sin,
Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd, Much like the old violin.
A “mess of pottage,” a glass of wine,
A game—and he travels on.
He’s “going” once, and “going” twice,
He’s “going” and almost “gone.”
But the Master comes, and the foolish crowd Never can quite understand The worth of a soul and the change that’s wrought By the touch of the Master’s hand.

I testify that no matter where you are at in your life, with the Touch of the the Masters Hands, you can become who you are to be. I love my Savior Jesus Christ! I know he lives and I am grateful to be in his service.

Hope you all have a week full of miracles!

Abrazos y Oraciones

Hermana/Sister Hunt