Happy New Year!

I've received complaints that these emails are getting a little bit too long. Since I don't have time to write in my journal every night, this blog has become like my journal. I can't promise this one will be shorter - it'll probably be longer actually - but I highly suggest you read this entire email. You can ignore my blog for the rest of my mission as long as you really read this one.

 

This week has been a weird one - full of ups and downs. I finally started feeling sick last Sunday after Sister Ure had been sick for over a week. I didn't feel too great Christmas Eve, felt great Christmas morning, and felt DREADFUL Christmas night. Despite this, and being away from home for Christmas for the first time in my life, this Christmas may have been my best one yet. For Christmas Eve, we were at the Visitor's Center all night - from 2-9. I'm not sure if I mentioned this before, but all the sister missionaries at the VC put on a little Christmas show with narration and singing and the like. We had two performances that afternoon and then an unscheduled third performance that night. It was pretty busy - a lot of members make it a tradition to come down to see the lights and the performance every year. It was also amazing how many non-members came as well. There was a woman visiting from Persia - she didn't speak much English but she was there with her Muslim daughter and another Christian man of Middle East descent. During the performance, something just told me that I needed to go talk to them after the show. So I did. Nothing really came of it, but the man asked a lot of questions that I answered to the best of my ability, and I invited them to look around some more. They ended up speaking to another sister missionary that night and were really curious about the Book of Mormon. While none of them accepted the invitation to receive a Book of Mormon at this point, I think they'll be back.

Christmas morning was absolutely magical. Sister Ure and I both were not feeling very well so it took us awhile to get out of bed, even to open Christmas presents!!! We were SO spoiled. Our ward had gone above and beyond to make us feel loved and appreciated this Christmas. We each got huge stockings full of presents, and then we got a few more presents on top of that from individual people, some of whom did NOT have the money to give us so much. It just really warmed my heart - it was hard because I couldn't give back, but I'm giving what I can as a missionary. Our apartment was a wreck for a couple of days because we didn't have a preparation day until Thursday, but I never expected to receive so many presents. It may have been my biggest Christmas ever!

However, even that wasn't the best part. That morning, we went over to our bishop's home, Bishop Passadore, for breakfast. It was so nice and relaxing. Bishop Passadore is a convert and he's been a member for about 30 years, and it took his wife 10 more years until she joined. His perspective and understanding has been such a blessing as we've worked with part-member families - it takes time for everyone to really make that commitment to the gospel, but I've seen how happy it makes them when they finally do it. Their son-in-law (married to their inactive daughter) was there with us too so we gave a little message about the Restoration, which was really well-received. It was just nice.

Then we stopped by the Willits' home for just a minute - they had invited us over for breakfast as well but we already had plans with Bishop and Sister Passadore. The Willits are awesome - they have quite a few kids, but only a couple of them are still active in the church. But still, they're just so happy and optimistic - they know that their children will understand and come back someday. We got there before their family did and had ANOTHER breakfast just with them, since they never have time to eat when everyone comes over anyways. By the time we left, a few had shown up so we were able to meet them - no pressure, just saying hi.

We went over to the De Voe's home next - Brother and Sister De Voe are awesome, and their 15-year-old son Devin comes to lessons with us all the time. They were inactive for a time, but now they are just rockstars - so strong, so involved in missionary work, so much fun. We love spending time with them. They let us use their phones and computers to call our families! I tried to skype mine but the connection was bad so I just saw some blurred images. Still, better than nothing!

After that, it was off to the VC again from 2-9. Those two breakfasts really took a toll on me and I just started feeling so sick. It was hard to get through the first two performances. It wasn't as busy as had been predicted, but we still put on another impromptu performance at 7pm - the 6th and final performance. This performance turned out to be one of the most spiritual experiences of my life. It had been a busy month preparing for Christmas, so busy that sometimes we'd miss personal study in the morning, or companion study. I felt my testimony waning a little; I felt myself losing strength to share the gospel. There were some days that I would go to the VC and I just wouldn't want to be there. I started questioning what I was doing; do I really know that Jesus Christ really came to the earth, that He is our Savior? I've met people as I've worked at the VC who are Muslim, atheist, Jewish - people who don't think of Jesus Christ as our Savior. But I know I've felt Him in my life. I've felt His healing, His sacrifice, His love. But sometimes, it's easy to forget - even when you're on a mission serving the Lord, you can still forget. Sometimes when you think too much about it, the gospel seems completely preposterous.

I've even wondered about the Spirit in the last few weeks. Do I feel the Spirit? Is the Holy Ghost even a real person, or do these good feelings come from some anatomical source, like endorphins? But that Christmas night, as we sang in celebration of Jesus Christ's life, I received the most powerful witness that could NOT have been purely natural. I was standing up there, sick, feeling like I was about to throw up - and all of a sudden, that was gone. As we sang the third verse of Silent Night with the audience, my heart swelled up with joy - a feeling I know I've had before, but that I had completely forgotten. I can't even explain it - no one would really understand unless they have felt it too. And as I cried through that last song, I felt the Spirit - I received that witness again from the Holy Ghost that confirmed my belief in Christ, my belief in our Heavenly Father, and especially my belief in the Holy Ghost. I know music can carry the Spirit, and I know that the Spirit is not just a feeling.

During the performance, a couple in the back caught my eye, and another sister noticed them too. She had invited them in from outside. While they didn't accept at this time to have the missionaries over, they expressed that they felt something different, something they had never felt before. They said they'd ponder it more and come back. The feeling of the Spirit IS different. I needed to have this experience - I needed to understand how people feel who have never felt the Holy Ghost before, who have never heard the gospel before. As men, the Restoration of the gospel and everything else that comes along with it seems completely impossible, but the Spirit can teach us those things. When thought of with a spiritual mind, all the pieces of the restored gospel make sense. I have a friend who refers to herself as "spiritual but not religious". That phrase has stuck with me: there are many people in the world that are spiritual - that believe that there is more than man can comprehend in this world. But through the Spirit, we can understand everything. We can understand the things of God. We can receive that personal revelation that teaches us what we need to do. This friend is an active and faithful LDS member; she attends church every week, prays, reads the word of God - General Conference talks, the Bible, the Book of Mormon - and her spirituality has led her to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the only church with a modern-day prophet called by God to guide our lives through revelation - through spiritual guidance. The things we teach are meant to enrich our temporal lives, but most importantly, our spirits. In the Bible Dictionary, to reveal is "to uncover or make known"(http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bd/revelation?lang=eng&letter=r). God is not a mystery - He wants us to learn everything we can. The Spirit allows us to do so. I know that we can all learn the truth of the gospel through viewing it with a spiritual mind, through praying and sincerely asking God if it is true. And if it's true, what else matters?

The next day in my personal study, I was reading in the Book of Mormon and I found this verse in 2nd Nephi Chapter 9:

18 But, behold, the righteous, the saints of the Holy One of Israel, they who have believed in the Holy One of Israel, they who have endured the crosses of the world, and despised the shame of it, they shall inherit the kingdom of God, which was prepared for them from the foundation of the world, and their joy shall be full forever.

That's how I felt Christmas night - like my joy was full. Even as a member of the church, I don't feel like that all the time. And many people have never felt that. There is nothing I want more than to feel like that forever, and I want everyone I meet to have that opportunity. Jesus Christ has shown us what we need to do in order to find that fullness of joy, and that is what this life is all about. I know we can find it by living the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

I've written WAY too much - I really thought I could sum this up real quick but apparently not. Thursday was our preparation day so that was nice - I was sick and ended up falling asleep on the floor for a couple of hours in the middle of writing letters. So if you didn't get a little Christmas card this year......I'm sorry. I'll do better next year.

Saturday was amazing day - we had another baptism! Two weeks in a row! Craig was baptized on Saturday and it was a really cool thing to see. The service was amazing and the Spirit was so strong (I definitely recognized it this time). Craig is not usually very serious - he's always cracking a joke. After his baptism, we asked him how he felt and he said, "Wet." Then, we asked him again, "Craig, how do you feel right now?" and we heard, "Drying off a bit." Finally, Sister Ure said, "Craig, really, how do you feel?" His answer was so genuine and sincere: "like a burden has been lifted." He had a rough past full of a lot of mistakes that he was not proud of, but he was able to wash all of that away and start fresh because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. We can all do that, no matter what we've been through. I've seen it in my own life, I've seen it in Craig's life, and I see it everyday as I meet converts at the VC or random walk-ins that feel the Spirit at the VC.

I testify that God loves each one of us personally. I testify that He knows us better than we know ourselves, and so He knows how to help us if we just turn to Him. I know that Jesus Christ didn't just die for us - He suffered for our sins so that we "might not suffer if [we] would repent" (D&C 19:16). I know that we will be blessed if we aim to make Jesus Christ a part of our life, not just a part of Christmas. I know the Holy Ghost is a real person that testifies of truth. I know that our Heavenly Father sends the Holy Ghost to us to help us to rise above and see the spiritual side of things, not just the confusion of the world. It reminds me of a Mormon message that I hope you all watch, and think about how a direct messenger from God, the Holy Ghost, can or has blessed you in your life.

http://www.mormonchannel.org/mormonmessages?v=910930358001

Hope you're all going out tonight to enjoy the fireworks! If you don't have plans to see them, do it for me because I'll be in bed by 10:30pm.

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas Eve!!!

I can't believe Christmas is almost here! Time is flying by so fast. I've been out on my mission for three months and I'm almost done with my first transfer out in the field! People always say that a mission goes by fast, and I'm only starting to understand that. But I am so grateful for the time that I do have to serve the Lord and everything it has taught me already.

I'm skyping the family tomorrow morning so I don't have too much to say right now, but some Christmas miracles definitely happened this week. My companion Sister Ure has been sick with a cold for most of the week: some days she feels fine, others not so much, so this week hasn't been as crazy as most. We've had a couple nights where Elder and Sister Clement have sent us home from the Visitor's Center to rest up a little more so that she can get better. Because she's been sick, we haven't had much exercise this past week, which would be alright if we hadn't received tremendous amounts of sugary treats from members of our ward. My mom might just have a heart attack when she sees how much candy we were given - it's a little excessive.

But if we thought we got a lot of candy from the members, we were in for a huge surprise with all the presents everyone gave us. All the members of the Relief Society contributed little gifts and they gave both of us a stocking full of things, as well as a couple of boxes. It's insane! I'll include a picture of that too. I didn't expect any of this; I am serving in such a great ward and everyone is so thoughtful and kind. I am also so grateful to everyone who sent Christmas cards or any other gifts - they're all sitting under the Christmas sign in our apartment, waiting for Christmas morning.

Now on to the important stuff about Christmas. I absolutely love Christmas, but mostly because I love giving gifts. It's been hard this year because I haven't had much of an opportunity to give any gifts - I just don't have the finances or the resources to get presents for anyone. This Christmas is unlike any Christmas I've ever had, but I love being a missionary, especially around Christmastime. As I've considered my purpose and what I have come here to do, I've realized that I have the privilege of giving the gift of the gospel this year. And not just for Christmas, but for 18 whole months! The knowledge of Jesus Christ's complete and original gospel is a gift of immeasurable worth - I can't count all the ways that it has blessed me in my life, and I've seen how it has blessed all the people I have met. Just like any gift, we give it with love. People recognize that love, and it makes them more willing to learn more and to use that gift. When we perceive the gospel as a gift, we will want to share it with others. I've probably shared this thought before, but the word gospel means "good news". Who doesn't want to hear good news?

And that's what I get to do while serving here in the Oakland/San Francisco mission: spread the good news, just like the shepherds who witnessed Jesus Christ's birth spread it all throughout the land. With the help of the Spirit, I've been able to share that news with some of the 12,000 people who have come to the VC this month, members and non-members alike. I've been able to see this good news change lives - Saturday was my first baptism here on the mission for Ling Liu Garrison. Her husband Derrall was baptized one month ago, and so he was able to baptize her. There were complications: the drain wasn't fully plugged so the water was only up to their knees and the water was freezing and no one could hear anything because the heater was running - but it was still great. You could see the change in Ling, especially after receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost the next day, yesterday, at church. It was a beautiful baptismal service, and we have another one this Saturday for Craig!!!

Ling's son Leo is 13 years old, and we've been teaching him for a few months now. The last time we asked him about baptism was probably two weeks ago, and he adamantly said that he did not want to be baptized. Slowly he progressed from disbelief in God to a belief in the Restoration and the Book of Mormon. We taught him after church yesterday, and we asked him to pray to know if the Book of Mormon was true. He replied with, "But I already know it's true", an answer we were NOT expecting. But Sister Ure and I had felt a prompting to come and teach him, and we knew he was ready. We talked for awhile, and he said he wanted to be baptized when he turned 14 in August. We couldn't understand why he wouldn't be baptized now if he knew the Book of Mormon was true, but we eventually accepted his answer and asked him to end our lesson with a prayer and ask Heavenly Father if he should be baptized sooner than that. We stood around and talked for a few minutes after the prayer and Leo just blurted out, "I changed my mind, I want to be baptized. After I prayed, I got this really good feeling. I feel like it's the right thing for me to do." This 13 year old boy, with never-ending questions and no religious background, felt the Spirit. He saw how it made both of his parents happier, and he knew that is what he wanted as well. It was an amazing experience - truly a miracle. But the Spirit knew we were supposed to be there - instead of seeing Jackie like we do every Sunday afternoon, we were guided to Leo. The Spirit really does guide us, and usually we don't notice that it is the Spirit until we put forth the faith to follow those promptings. And then we see the miracles - Leo is getting baptized January 12th :)

I've also been able to see how that good news is very "plain and precious." The idea of seeing our families again after this life is common among most Christians, but still marriage ceremonies say "til death do you part". A family from Tonga came into the VC on Saturday - the wife's sister was being sealed to her husband and family but it took awhile to figure that out because the family didn't really understand what they were doing in the temple. We showed them the God's Plan for the Family presentation and also the pictures of the inside of the temple. The husband, Sifa, said that he was baptized when he was eight but then his family stopped going to church so he didn't know much about it. But he said that he has always believed that families can be together even after death - it was just something he knew, and he didn't understand why they had to be sealed in the temple. This idea is one of the plain and precious covenants of Christianity that was lost after Jesus Christ's death, and the truth of this doctrine is still believed by many people, but only through the restored power of God on the earth is this possible. Elder Boyd K Packer said, "It is important for a missioanry to know that the Holy Ghost can work through the Light of Christ. A teacher of gospel truths is not planting something foreign or even new into an adult or a child. Rather, the missionary or teacher is making contact with the Spirit of Christ already there. The gospel will have a familiar 'ring' to them." As we open our mouths, people will recognize our beliefs as true doctrine given by Jesus Christ.

I have seen how people can relate to the gospel. Even the Big Book (used by Alcoholics Anonymous) follows a similar sequence of events to what Jesus Christ taught, specifically faith, repentance and enduring to the end - as I've learned from one of our investigators. The gospel of Jesus Christ is simple, logical, practical - it just makes sense. It answers every question. The gospel pieces everything about life and death and everything in between together, everything that's missing, because it was restored in its original form by Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ through Joseph Smith. The gospel is the Christmas message because it is centered on Jesus Christ. I am so grateful for the new perspective I have gained as a missionary for the Lord this Christmas season.

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

Sister Ure and I have been jamming out to Christmas tunes. We have three CDs that we rotate through - The Messiah, The Forgotten Carols soundtrack, and the recording of the MoTab/David Archuleta concert a couple years ago. It was such a blessing to start the Christmas music - before, we had a some CD with country LDS songs, and I had to just bite my tongue - as much as I love country, this CD was just not good. The Christmas season came just in time. It's weird coming to terms with the fact that I won't have any semblance of a white Christmas this year, but the few presents under our imaginary tree and the constant Christmas music has reassured me that it is indeed December.

But anyways - starting with last Monday - after serving in the VC all day (literally: from 9am-6pm), we had a couple lessons. We taught Leo again, and he's taking HUGE strides. Before we started meeting with him, he didn't believe there was a God. Then at our last lesson, he said that he thought of God as a "force", not as a man. But at Monday night's lesson, he likened God unto a scientist - not a force, but a MAN. It's still hard for him to comprehend everything God is, growing up as of yet without any knowledge of God, but he's slowly getting there. He's been praying, reading the Book of Mormon, and coming to church - I know those are the three things we need to do to increase our faith in the gospel. Around here, we call these primary answers "CPR": Church, Pray, Read the scriptures. But it's amazing how it really works! I've seen it in my own life - when I'm slacking on one, two or all three of those areas, I do doubt more. Those are the three simple things we need to do, and still it's hard. I'll talk more about this later on, but I know that the guidelines of CPR are essential to our faith and our ability to return to live with God.

Tuesday was my very first zone conference. There were a lot of people there - I met a few new people, but I mostly just know all the sisters at the VC and the elders that bring investigators to the VC a lot. It started off with a talk that Elder Holland gave at the MTC a couple of years ago, "Feed My Sheep". It was similar to the one he gave in General Conference a couple months ago, but he really focused on why we teach people and not lessons. Missionary work has changed so much and I really believe that it has become very effective. From all the people I've met, everyone needs the help of the gospel. Elder Holland said, "If you listen with love, you won't need to wonder what to say." The biggest piece of advice that I heard from everyone before my mission was "Don't be a robot." Sometimes, I do still see missionaries that act like robots - that don't truly listen to the person. When you learn to listen, you learn to love people so much more - you feel the love that God and Jesus Christ have for them. It really is amazing. It's hard, but it's possible. It's a process I've been working on for the past few years - and it's probably a subconscious reason that I decided to serve a mission. If you haven't read President Monson's talk from the priesthood session of General Conference, I suggest you do. I'll even include the link:

http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/10/see-others-as-they-may-become?lang=eng

I know that the gospel addresses every need that our friends and family members have - we just need to listen.

Anyways, back to Zone Conference: we did some roleplays on how to contact member referrals, and I felt pretty comfortable with it. After lunch prepared by the stake, we had a huge gift exchange that Sister Meredith had organized. Members from all the wards had donated not just a gift, but a whole bag of goodies and other things for us. It took forever, but it was a lot of fun. I ended up with some chocolate syrup and ice cream toppings, and my companion got that Messiah CD. Afterwards, President and Sister Meredith talked about charity. Charity is so so important in missionary work, and they are both such great examples of charity.

Crazy story from Tuesday: we have this investigator named Jackie - I don't think I've mentioned her before. Before I came here, she was progressing, she had a baptismal date, and she was snapping out of her deep depression that she's had for decades. Then she got pneumonia and we couldn't get in touch with her for a few weeks. Her baptism was supposed to be this past Saturday, but the pneumonia dropped her back to her depression - Sister Ure told me that she was worse now than she had been when Sister Ure met her. We finally got back in touch with her and started seeing her infrequently, but she was just so down that it was hard to feel the Spirit in her home and teach her. It went on like that for a couple of weeks, but last week she agreed to go to the Relief Society activity on Tuesday night. We had to work at the Visitor's Center so we weren't going to make it, but we got a ride all set up for her and everything.

After Zone Conference on Tuesday, the day of the RS activity, we saw that we had a voicemail from Jackie, and we were worried that she was going to bail. But we didn't expect to hear what we did. She called us to let us know she couldn't make it to the activity because a friend of hers had come over, had a heart attack, and died in her home. We were absolutely stunned. It sounded like the most incredible lie ever - but it was the truth. Sister Ure and I were so frustrated because it seems like there's always some roadblock that's keeping Jackie from doing what she needs to do; she needs to read the Book of Mormon but she can't find her glasses, she needs to come to church but her son is coming over and she doesn't know the exact time, she needs to pray when she's depressed but she can't bring herself to do it because her depression is so bad. So the fact that this happened was really insane - she's been through so much and wants to do the right thing but there's always something in the way. And then her friend dies in her home! It was just so sad, and so overwhelming - but she finally let us bring over some priesthood to give her a blessing. Since that blessing, she has been more calm, and has been more attentive in our lessons. Her depression is still bad, but she knows she can overcome it - and she WANTS to over come it. Desire is the most important first step - desire leads to hope and faith. We gave her a new baptismal date for February 12th and we're so excited. We know that she can get there.

I really didn't want this one to turn out so long! I'll wrap it up real quick here. Craig's still doing great - he made it to all three hours of church yesterday, he's keeping all the commandments we've taught him, and he's still set for his baptism date on the 29th! We do have a baptism this weekend, by the way - Leo's mom, Ling, is getting baptized this Saturday! Her husband was baptized about a month ago, right before I got here, so he is going to baptize her. We wanted Leo to be ready for this date too, but he still needs more time.
Another miracle: on Thursday morning, we received a call from Michelle, one of our recent converts, on behalf of her friend at her assisted living facility, Rebekah. Rebekah is staying there, but her husband Dave is an inactive member staying at another assisted living facility and he had called her, asking her to send over priesthood from our church to give him a blessing. A couple men from the ward went over. We went to see Michelle that day, so we stopped in to see Rebekah as well, and we have a return appointment with her this week to teach her the first lesson! Everything happens for a reason. Sister Ure and I are REALLY bad at asking for referrals - we're just too busy focusing on the person we're teaching at every lesson. We had made a goal for that day to ask for referrals from everyone we went to see - and we totally forgot. But I believe that Heavenly Father knew we'd forget, so He had Michelle call us that morning so we could get in touch with Rebekah. Just another little miracle.

We had a really powerful lesson on Thursday night with Gerry and Raul. Gerry and his wife, Elizabeth, had been investigating for over seven years and Elizabeth was finally baptized this summer. Gerry knows it's true, but we can't understand why he won't be baptized. Raul is Elizabeth's cousin who lives with them - he just started investigating a few months ago. Sister Ure and I were so excited for this lesson as we planned it that morning - we planned to talk about Alma the Elder and what he did when he learned the truth of the gospel from Abinadi (Mosiah 17 and 18). We were going to commit both Gerry and Raul to baptism and make it happen. The lesson was going SO WELL - we read verses 9-11 in chapter 18 and we were about to extend when Elizabeth jumped to defend them. We could tell that it wasn't going to happen with Raul, but Gerry was on the brink - we really thought he would accept. But then the moment was just gone. So that was unfortunate. Baptism is a leap of faith, but Gerry's doing everything he's supposed to - except church I guess. So it's just sad.

I can't remember what happened Friday - VC all day. But on Saturday, I met this man from Sri Lanka. He's not a member but has a co-worker who gave him a Book of Mormon and has talked to him a little bit about our church. He asked about tithing and the Book of Mormon and other things like that - he even tried to bring in his Hindi Indian friends who were looking at the view outside, but they didn't want to come in. We showed him the Book of Mormon in his native languages, Sinhala and Tamil. He talked about traveling to Jerusalem and the peace he felt there. He filled out a referral card, so I can send the missionaries over to see him and teach him more! Totally golden.

And then Sunday - we had SIX investigators at church! I never thought that getting investigators to do those primary answers - CPR - would be the hardest part of missionary work, but it is! I always thought teaching the Word of Wisdom or the Law of Chastity or the Law of Tithing was hard - but it really gets down to the basics: if they pray, read the scriptures, and attend church, they will have the faith to follow those commandments. Nhi and Josh both promised they would come last week and they didn't, but they did this week! And they made comments in Sunday School and Relief Society, which really showed us that they are learning and retaining the things we are teaching them. It's just such a good feeling when investigators show up for church.

Anyways, that's all the news I have. Life's great, and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else!

I've run out of titles for subject lines

Hello!

Today's the first sunny day I've seen here - but there's wind. I can't really win with the weather right now. I thought I'd love the weather, but I really can't decide. We do outside tours at night because there are so many Christmas concerts and other events happening on Temple Hill, and it is absolutely FREEZING because we literally are at the top of a hill. I love this temple so much because it can be seen all around - people see it just from driving down the freeway, so they pull off and come check it out. There was a couple that came with their little boy Saturday night - they were just walking around outside because their little boy has always wanted to come see it. He was only 2, maybe 3, but he recognized the temple as something more. They came to the Visitor's Center and agreed to meet with missionaries! It's just amazing how this area just draws people in.

And there are TONS of people here every night! Even when people don't know about all the events being hosted here, they're drawn in by the lights. And then they see the Christus in the Visitor's Center through a huge window and everyone comes to see it: members, tourists, investigators, random people who know nothing about our church - EVERYONE. It's actually been really crazy - we're here at the VC all the time; this week we were here Friday 1-9:30pm, Saturday from 9am-1pm and then from 5-9pm, and Sunday from 2:30-9pm. It really does get insane - on those weekend nights, over a thousand people come through. It's hard to engage and really talk to people when there are so many around, but I've had a couple of cool experiences at the VC this week. On Thursday, a couple from Fiji came to the temple with their little girl - they tried to go in and asked for the priest. One of the temple workers directed them over to the VC, and there were a couple of elders at the VC. They were looking for a blessing for their daughter, who is bow-legged. The elders got the oil and gave this little girl a blessing. Afterwards, we took them through the God's Plan for the Family presentation. They said they were going around to a lot of different churches, asking for blessings. We tried teaching about the priesthood - we're not sure if they understood completely, but they gave us permission to send missionaries to their home. 

My favorite part is doing outside tours during the holiday season. There are so many people just outside taking pictures and looking around, and it's so easy to go up to them and talking to them about the gospel of Jesus Christ. I met a man from Jordan on Friday night - he looked Latino initially so we started speaking to him in Spanish. He tried speaking back in Spanish, but then we all reverted to English when we realized that he was not Hispanic. He said he didn't want to talk about religion, but feels a special peace when he comes to the temple, so I gave him a referral card anyways - in case he ever does want to talk about religion. 

But just last night, I had an experience where I recognized that God really is preparing people to hear the gospel. We were walking around outside and we started talking to these two women, probably my same age. One of them has a sister who is Mormon and living in Provo, and the other didn't know much about our church. We basically taught her the restoration right there on the spot, and told her a little bit more about temples. In the middle of our conversation, we asked if she knew about the Book of Mormon, and she said she was planning on buying one for herself as a personal Christmas present! It is amazing how prepared she is to receive the gospel! She asked a lot of questions and was satisfied with all the answers I tried to give, and accepted the invitation to have missionaries come to her home and bring a Book of Mormon! She had never been inside the VC, but she has recognized the peace of the temple just from being outside. It really is such a special place, and I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to witness all of these prepared people. And who knows - maybe she never would have gone into the VC if my companion and I hadn't gone to talk to her outside. You never know who is ready to receive the gospel.

The hardest part of missionary work is recognizing the people who are not prepared. There are a few people that we are teaching who have heard all the lessons multiple times at this point, but they're not doing anything about it. We teach them that prayer, scripture study and church attendance will help them increase in their faith and know that these things are true, but then they don't do it. The most important thing is to desire to know the truth - without that desire, there's nothing we can do as missionaries. They have to want it. My mission president said something really interesting in a training that we had this week - Elder Holland always says that "we have what [people] need" but President Meredith said that "we also have what they want." When we are obedient and desire to strengthen our faith, our happiness will increase; no matter what our situation is, the gospel of Jesus Christ - faith, repentance, baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end - brings us closer to Jesus Christ, which always leads to more peace, joy and happiness in our lives. That's all we have to do. 

We do have on investigator named Leo who is still stuck on the question of faith. He does not have any religious background, and he's this whip-smart 13-year-old boy. Everything has to have proof in his mind - but we know his faith is increasing because he WANTS to know that God is there. His answer may come a piece at a time, but that desire is the most important thing. We're also teaching Craig - his baptism date is the 29th of this month. He's been sober for over 20 years, and quit smoking 8 years ago as well - and now, he's following every aspect of the Word of Wisdom by trading in his coffee for herbal tea. Our actions truly demonstrate our love for the Lord and our faith in His plan for us.

The Lord is preparing people to find the truth, and all I can do is invite them to it. I'm still nervous and a little afraid to talk to people, but it's easier to do when I remember the "good news" of the gospel. I've been turned down, hung up on, and stood up for lessons already. But you never know who will have a change of heart - everyone needs the gospel, everyone wants the gospel even if they don't know it, and it's my job to make sure they can learn more if they choose. It's hard when they choose not to, but only because I know it's true. I know that this gospel can bless everyone's lives if they let it - if they truly let the teachings of Jesus Christ become a part of who they are. 

So that's what's going on here. I'm going to my first Zone Conference tomorrow, and then Wednesday is our P-day this week. And I'm going SHOPPING with my companion and the other two sisters in our district, Sister Garcia and Sister Mitchell. I can't remember the last time I went shopping. Don't worry Mom and Dad, I'll be frugal - just need a little something to rejuvenate the closet.

I love you all!

I'm here!

Hello from California!!! I don't even know where to start right now - SO MUCH has happened in the past week and a half.

So....my last few days in the MTC were pretty eventful. We went down to Salt Lake one night to practice everything we had learned but it was crazy because it was Thanksgiving weekend so the lights had just been turned on a couple of days before. Because of that, we didn't have a chance to do tours, only contact, but it was still a good experience. Hermana Ivey and I also started teaching a 19-year-old kid named Matty from Hungary via chat last Monday, and I got six referrals from missionaries at the MTC that I can start contacting too! Visitor Center Training was so so great, and I think it helped me transition into the field a little bit better.

And now the MTC feels like a lifetime ago and I'm finally here! When we got to Oakland last Wednesday, we had a very chill day - I didn't even teach. We went out to lunch with President and Sister Meredith and had a whole bunch of training and walked around the templegrounds and the visitor's center and didn't even meet our new companions until that night at 6. I'm glad I wasn't thrown right into it all right away.

Right now I'm in Castro Valley in an English-speaking ward. My trainer is Sister Ure - I'm her first American companion and she's from Parker Colorado too!!! We get along great - she's an awesome trainer and she's also a visitor center (VC) trainer so I get to do some exchanges during VC time. I'm a little worried about getting the language down when I'm not completely immersed in it. If I have to train a brand new missionary in 12 weeks - which is pretty likely since that'll be the EXACT time that all those new sisters will be leaving the MTC - I don't know how I'm going to hold my own in a Spanish lesson. But I did conduct a tour at the VC in Spanish by myself yesterday - Sister Ure was with me but didn't speak it so I was on my own. I knew more than I thought, and the visitors spoke a little bit slower for me so I could understand it pretty well. There are Spanish speakers in the ward - I just need to practice with them a lot.

Oh and in terms of my schedule - I love it. We get two full days of proselyting per week, and then the other 4 days are half-days - half at the VC, half proselyting. Also, each sister gets an opportunity to do full-time proselyting for at least two transfers in an area further away from the VC. I'm still working on feeling comfortable teaching at the VC - there are just so many people there for the lights that it's hard to focus on one group and really help them. I have talked to a couple people that I hope were affected by what I said - or rather, what the Holy Ghost said through me. It's hard because they leave and sometimes you don't get in contact with them again - you don't know if they're going to remember the experience. There are a couple of phones and computers at the VC so we can call and follow up and get local missionaries to their homes, but it's hard to find the time because the VC is so busy this time of year. 
Teaching hasn't been too hard for me because we've only been teaching investigators. We haven't done any tracting or gotten a hold of any referrals at this point. I had my first "first" lesson today and it's harder to naturally segway into talking about the gospel than I thought - it was easier in the MTC. But I will say, the ability to love people you've barely met is amazing. I thought that would be the hardest part for me - truly loving the people - but most of the people we're teaching are just in really dark times of their lives. It's amazing to see how the gospel is beginning to change them, and it's hard not to feel that love that the Savior has for them. It breaks my heart sometimes, but I know that every single person can be healed through the Atonement.

One awkward story: this older single man in the ward brought me a flower on my first Sunday - HIGHLY inappropriate, but apparently that's normal for him. And I felt mega awkward. But nobody saw it - and we ended up giving it to our investigator that we saw right after church. Other than that little incident....the members are GREAT. They're all missionary-minded and we get so many referrals. We have a good number of progressing investigators - 7 I think.

In Parker's first email from the field, he described that he felt "at home." I didn't understand it then, but I do now. Waking up at the MTC wasn't always my favorite thing to do - but now, I get right up, even if I'm tired. I love being here and doing this work, and I'm so excited to learn more.

Sister Jill Hunsaker


P.S. I forgot my camera at the apartment, but here are a couple of pictures from my companion.

Oakland Temple with the lights (a little blurry)
Me and Sister Ure in front of the Oakland Temple, first night
Our Friday brunch
I'm not a fan of all this rain

Pictures from the MTC

Me and Parker with our nametags



Saying adios to Elder Hunsaker



My companion insisted on taking this picture, and I knew Mom would want to see it



Me and my companion Hermana Ivey



My whole district



Me and Hermana Willis :)



My district and our teacher Hermano Goodman

Last post from the MTC!

I can't believe this is the last time I'm writing from the MTC!!! It's a little surreal - I still feel like I'm going to be here forever. But SO MUCH has happened in these past nine days. I'll just include a brief little summary and then all the pictures from my time here at the MTC.

The biggest thing was my whole district leaving. So, starting with last Friday: we had in-field orientation all day where they helped us learn important things like how to find people, how to work with members, and similar things that we haven't been able to practice here. It was all day so that was kind of crazy, but it sped by and it was a lot of fun. It got me really excited to leave...and then I realized I was still here for another week and a half haha. But it taught me so so much. Sunday was a little different too - our district all sang "Come Thou Fount" en espanol during sacrament meeting as a little farewell. We also went to the departure devotional for all missionaries leaving the next week and performed again - Elder Reeder was asked to sing his song again so I accompanied him. I saw Hermana Willis there and we took a picture together because she was leaving the next day.

Monday was a weird day - it was our last day of classes but we didn't do too much. Both of our teachers ended up talking about their missions and giving us some last minute advice. We didn't see much of each other throughout the day because people were packing and doing laundry and all that stuff but we all sat down to dinner together. The first people to leave were Elder Hatch and Elder Christiansen (for the D.C. North mission) - they left Monday night around 8pm. We all sang Hasta Ver (God Be With You Til We Meet Again) right before they left and almost everyone was crying. I didn't expect to become such good friends with all of these people in only nine weeks. I know they are going to be such great missionaries - and it was so cool to watch their testimonies and their enthusiasm to share the gospel grow.

The next morning, the rest of them left: Hermana Riter, Elder Reeder and Elder Redd, all going to Reno NV. We all had to walk Hermana Riter to the travel office so that her companion didn't have to walk back alone, so we said goodbye to all of them at that time. And then there were three: Hermana Johnson, Hermana Ivey and myself. Tuesday was pretty chill - we didn't have a class anymore so we just studied and went to the devotional. We also took a shuttle off the MTC campus and went to the DMV that morning - Hermana Ivey had to get a copy of her driving record. We talked to a lot of people there, but mostly just members. We talked to a guy that was not a member, but he was in a hurry and wasn't really interested. It kind of gave me a small taste of what it's going to be like when I get to San Fran next week.

We started visitor center training Wednesday by going to Temple Square and receiving a tour from the sister missionaries there. It was a normal nice tour - and then our instructor kind of ripped it to shreds. Visitor center missions get a really bad stereotype in the church usually because they act like tour guides. I thought that before my mission but that's not what it's supposed to be. They expect us to give people converting experiences in ten minutes sometimes - it usually took me a couple lessons before I got to that point with any of my investigators that I taught here at the MTC. I'm feeling a little overwhelmed, but I know that the Lord knows I can do this. We had class afterwards, and practiced role-playing greeting people at our visitor's centers which was really difficult. We're expected to get to know someone and ask thought-provoking, inspired questions in the first five minutes, before we even start the tour, so we can recognize their needs and how we can help them. It's going to take a lot of practice, but I'm excited. I'm happy to know that working at a visitor's center isn't the "easy way out"; it's still going to be a real mission. From what I've heard recently and from my instructors, we spend half the day at the center and the other half proselyting. So it's going to be busy.

On Wednesday night, we also started working as online missionaries. We were given emails to respond to from real people, and we were on chat for an hour answering questions. I didn't have any investigators on chat that really wanted to know - they just had questions and one called our church "bold and arrogant" because we believe in a living prophet. So...no success yet. But it was a really cool experience and it made me really excited to start sharing the gospel todo dia, cada dia (all day, every day). Today's my P-day, but I might just get on chat anyways and talk to some people if I have some time.

Last thing, really quick: yesterday was probably the best Thanksgiving I've had in a few years, probably since I've been away from home. My first Thanksgiving away from home was in St. George with family but I got dreadfully sick after dinner. I don't really remember the next Thanksgiving, but I was probably in Pleasant Grove with family. And then last Thanksgiving, I hung out with my ex-boyfriend after my parents didn't come out to Utah like they were going to. That all being said, this Thanksgiving was GREAT - I didn't expect it to be so good. For starters, Elder Holland came to speak to us - we knew he was coming because Hermana Ivey has a friend who is a security guard here and he told us, so we got a really great seat. We were in line all morning, from 7:30 until 9:30. He brought a lot of his family - his theme was helping us feel like a part of his family since we're away from ours so his grandkids performed musical numbers and bore their testimonies and things like that. His wife spoke and then he talked about a few things he was grateful for - it was amazing, like always. After that, we had Thanksgiving lunch/dinner but it was pretty much the same food we have every Sunday - I'm not a fan of Thanksgiving food anyways so I wasn't disappointed. We got to do a service project, assembling health and education kits for people in Mali. Then we had a little Thanksgiving program which was much less formal than most meetings - we were able to clap after musical numbers and just have fun. There was a little Thanksgiving skit which was corny, but it was nice having this big relaxed meeting. And then to end the day, they gave everyone a bag of popcorn and we watched 17 Miracles, which I had never seen. I bawled, as expected.

This Thanksgiving, I focused mainly on my gratitude for the gospel; the blessings it has given me, the faith of the pioneers who came before me, the faith of the prophets today and in the past, the Book of Mormon, and mostly my Savior. Sharing the gospel is not easy, but when I recognize all the blessings that have come to me through my knowledge of the gospel, I am so grateful. Sister Holland shared a story of when she finished reading the Book of Mormon on a train one day and after she finished, she turned to the man next to her and just kept saying "This book is true!" They talked about it for awhile, and he was later baptized. When we recognize all the blessings that come from what we know, we will want to share the gospel with everyone. We have what they need, and we need to learn to share it with everyone.

Next time I write, I'll be in San Francisco! I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving Day!!!

Hermana Hunsaker

Two more weeks!!!

Hi everyone! I don't have too much to say - mostly I'm just anxious to get out of here and get to San Francisco! Today's my last normal P-day with my district - next Wednesday most of them will be gone and I'll be at Temple Square for the morning. It's weird because every day has been more or less the same for the past 7 weeks but things are starting to change fast. This Friday, we have in-field orientation all day where they prep us to go out into the field. Parker didn't rave about it too much, but I'm so excited - even though I'll still have a week and a half before I get to leave. I should get my travel plans tomorrow night and then it'll feel more real. Right now, I've already spent 2 months of my short mission here and sometimes I feel like this is where I'm going to be the whole time - but the real countdown to the field will start once I see those travel plans. Our whole district is really excited to go, and we've been speaking in Spanish almost constantly for the past few days in an effort to be better prepared. I know the Spanish well enough - I can't even count how many lessons I've given in Spanish at this point - 6 a week, plus all the random teaching practices we do during our classes: I've probably taught over 60 times in Spanish, even if some of them were short 5-minute blurbs. I can't wait to feel 100% comfortable with it, and sometimes I still hold back from saying certain things because I'm not sure exactly how to say it, but I've learned more Spanish in the past two months that most people learn in a couple years of high school. So....I think I'm ready to go.

But I'm really excited for Visitor Center Training - I have a few friends that did it last week, a couple more doing it this week, and they all say really great things. The one thing I am not so excited for is getting completely ready everyday. I've been told that Visitor Center sisters get a little extra time to get ready for the day because they have to look perfect. I'm already sick of getting dressed up everyday and doing my hair and putting on my makeup and all that jazz. I understand the importance - it's just going to be hard for me, even though it's such a little thing. At Temple Square, the sisters can't even put their hair in a bun or ponytail or anything like that - it has to be down and done. I'll just have to see what it's like at the Oakland Temple Visitor's Center......I'm also a little nervous for all the time we spend in the referral center during our week of training. My job at Vivint taught me how to talk on the phone to strangers - but that doesn't mean I like to do it. It's been so nice being at the MTC without a cell phone, or anything like that - using a phone again is going to be weird. There are some missionaries that serve their entire missions in the referral center, usually due to medical problems, so I can't complain - but it's going to be hard. I know how to do tech support over the phone, but I have NO IDEA how to talk about the gospel over the phone - especially in Spanish.

I'm almost out of time, but I want to share a quick thought. My companion and I were chosen to participate in the teaching experience for the new missionaries that come in today. Essentially, what we do is walk in, talk to the person, get to know them and their needs a little bit, and then a huge group of 30ish new missionaries finish teaching the person as a group. I'm a little nervous, but it's in English and it's what I've been doing for the past two months so it shouldn't be hard (even though I'm starting to think I can teach the gospel better in Spanish than in English now). We had a training Monday night, and after asking us all what our purpose was as missionaries, he said that our purpose is "to offer the Atonement to everyone." I had never thought of it in that way before, but that's what I'm doing as a missionary. Ever since then, I've been thinking of how I can relate all my lessons back to Christ and His Atonement. I haven't done it every time, but I've noticed a powerful change in the Spirit when I have. The thing I love so much about this gospel is the fact that it fully explains the Atonement. It's not just for huge sins; it's really for everyone as long as we come unto Christ. I think I wrote something about this last week so I won't say much more, but I know that if we truly understand the Atonement, we will want to follow Christ and do whatever He asks of us. President Hinckley said, "The church doesn't need anymore people. The people need the church." They need the church because they need to understand the Atonement - I don't believe that any other church explains the Atonement with more clarity because I don't think any book other than the Book of Mormon truly explains Christ's Atonement.

We had a devotional last night where the speaker, Bradley Foster of the Seventy, talked about consecration. I hadn't thought of my mission as living the law of consecration, but that's really what I'm doing. After the devotional, someone in my district said, "We are standing as proxy for Jesus Christ." I'm having fun, but this is also a very sacred obligation. It just made me think of my life before this; have I lived my life with that statement in mind? I don't think I have before now, and even now I know I can do better. It's just something to think about. We watched a movie as part of that devotional about John Tanner, a convert to the church that was the epitome of consecration. I don't know the name of the movie, but if you haven't seen it, you should. Neal A. Maxwell once said, "Consecration is the only surrender which is also a victory." Some people might say that being humble and serving the Lord - giving everything up to do His work - is crazy, but I know it's not. I've come to love Matthew 16:24-26 as I've been reading of the Savior's earthly ministry: "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For Whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it." I reread Holland's talk from Conference this morning, and it just reminded me that everything we do should be in response to our love for God. As we acknowledge His hand in our lives, there's no way we can continue to live our lives without consecrating them to the Lord and His work. I don't have the exact quote, but in the talk, Holland said something like "the true sign of love is loyalty."

Anyways, just a thought. My P-day next week is Friday so I'll write again then and let you know how the training is going.

Love you!!!

Last month here!

Well, more like three weeks. Time has slowed down a lot as we've all started our countdown to leaving the MTC, but I'm trying not to focus on that. I'm just taking one day at a time, and working as hard as I can. I started running in the mornings this week, so I've had a lot more energy and focus. We had a fireside on Sunday talking about the power of our nametags, and so I'm trying to focus on that every day. Every morning when I put it on, it reminds me to work as hard as I can because I am literally a representative of Christ. Just something I've had on my mind recently.

The one thing I don't like about my nametag is the fact that it doesn't have my first name. I'm getting used to being called "Hermana Hunsaker" but I must admit that I miss my first name a little bit. I never liked my first name growing up, but living without it makes me feel a little strange sometimes. Also, I talk to at least five new people a day because they see my nametag and ask me if I'm related to a Joe Hunsaker or a Karen Hunsaker or a Michelle Hunsaker. It might be a good tool on my mission, but right now it gets a little old. But there's always a chance. It's just funny to think that most people don't realize how common my last name is. I'm really excited for the next 16 months, but it'll be really nice to hear my name again when I get home. And this isn't about me or my first name anyways - the most important name on my tag is Christ's.

Anyways, news for the week - because of the faulty fire alarm last week, we had to move out of our room on Friday so they can fix it. Everyone on the fourth floor was relocated. Some people had to move to a completely different building, like my friend Hermana Willis, but we only had to move down to the 3rd floor. I just hung all my hangers of clothes on my arm and walked it down and put it right in the closet, so the move was a pretty easy one. But the craziest part of the story is that no one told the sisters on the 3rd floor that we were coming! We moved into a room with 4 other hermanas, and they were taking up five closets. I got the one empty closet, and my companion wasn't able to unpack until that night when they came back and moved everything out of the closet. So....I was a little negative because it wasn't very well-organized, but it's turned out great. Hermana Ivey and I are no longer in the same room as Hermana Riter and Hermana Johnson, the other two sisters in our district, but they're only two doors down so we usually hang out for a bit every night before bed - and we see them all day with class and everything. Our new roommates are native Spanish speakers, but they all grew up in the States so their English is perfect and they usually speak English. It's been nice having them around to help us say things right, but I'm a little self-conscious sometimes. They're all serving Spanish-speaking missions: two in San Diego, one in DC and the other in Chile. We don't see them very often, only at morning when we wake up and night when we go to bed, but we all get along great.

Teaching has been much better. Hermana Ivey and I have gotten much better at planning our lessons and our "investigators" are gaining testimonies - it's cool to be able to recognize that. I don't dread teaching anymore - my Spanish is good enough that I can get through a lesson with very few pauses, and our lessons have become much more effective as we've used the scriptures and asked good questions and really tried to recognize the needs of the people we teach. Just comparing myself to where I was seven weeks ago, I have learned more than I've ever learned in such a short space of time. I know the only way I've been able to do that is through the Lord. I wonder if I could learn this much in school if I just prayed 10+ times a day. My testimony of the power of prayer has grown tremendously.

I'm running out of time, but I want to share a few things I've learned this week. We had a workshop yesterday where we talked about how to increase our faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, and how we can help our investigators to do so. I've thought about this question a lot since General Conference, after listening to the talks from Elder Holland and Elder Hales. I gained a firm testimony of the Atonement during my freshman year of college when I was having a really rough time, and Jesus Christ is the center of my testimony. I used to think that the only reason Christ came to the world was to perform the Atonement, of which I am so grateful for, but he did more. He came to set an example - to show us exactly how to live our lives. I thought it was enough to take my burdens and my big sins to him - but it's not. If knowing Him and understanding that Atonement at the level that I do doesn't change me, I don't know Him at all. If I don't strive to be more like Him by following His example and His commandments, the Atonement really doesn't do much for me. I've read a lot of scriptures this week - none of them which I can find right now - that basically say that the Atonement is only for those who repent of all their sins and try to become more like Him. That doesn't mean it's not available to all people - it's available to everyone who takes advantage of it. But if we take it for granted and don't use the opportunity to repent everyday and become better, we aren't entitled to all the relief it can bring to our lives. We watched a Mormon Message during the workshop about a woman who was a single mom with four kids at the age of 27, and got into drugs and dealing and even went to prison. And it ruined 27 years of her life. But through the Atonement, she can hold her head high. The gift of the Atonement is really a miracle.

I love when Christ himself talks about the Atonement in His own words in the Doctrine and Covenants. In Section 19, verses 15-19, Christ says: "For behold, I God have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent. But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I. Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and Spirit." And then in Section 45, he tells our Heavenly Father, "Father, behold the sufferings and death of him who did no sin, in whom thou wast well pleased; behold the blood of thy Son which was shed...Wherefore, Father, spare these my brethren that believe on my name that they may come unto me and have everlasting life." That's how I think of Christ and His Atonement. I saw the Joseph Smith movie Sunday night and everything he went through, and I thought of all this woman has been through, and all I've been through, and all my family and friends have been through - and that's only a tiny fraction of the pain that Christ felt. I cannot even comprehend how he bore that pain.

I've always been grateful for all He has suffered, but I've failed to recognize just how in debt I am to him. He did so much for me - and all He asks is that I strive to become more like Him. It sounds so easy and simple when I put it that way, but it's taking me a long time to realize that. When you learn to put all your burdens on the Lord, He really does succor his people. No matter how many mistakes we've made, or how many we continue to make, He takes that upon Himself so we can feel relief and optimism and confidence in this life. And all He asks is that we come to Him. I don't always understand every commandment from the Lord, but I know that because the Lord loves us, He only gives us commandments for our happiness. Elder Zwick of the Seventy spoke last night at our devotional and quoted President David O. McKay - I didn't get the whole quote down, but the first part of it is "What you sincerely in your heart think of Christ will determine what you are". I want my character and my actions to reflect my love, admiration and respect for Christ. I want people to want to know Christ because they know me (I think that's a quote from somewhere too), because I know that knowing Christ can change the lives of everyone who turns to Him. And that's why I'm out here, doing what I'm doing.

Anyways, sorry for the novel. I'll try taking a lot of pictures this week since my district is all leaving soon. If you took the time to read this - thanks. I hope you enjoyed it.

Happy Halloween!

So...it's Halloween here at the MTC. That doesn't really mean anything, but I wore an orange shirt this morning so I've done my part. And the fact that it is Halloween doesn't mean much to me either. Anyone who knows me knows I'm not a huge fan of Halloween. The one exception was probably last Halloween when I dressed up as a minion from "Despicable Me." But other than that, dressing up isn't my thing. I'm just going to lounge around all day in my "Party at Gatsby's" sweatshirt and that'll have to do. Of course, the best part of holidays never is the festivities. The best part is spending time with your family. I wish I could see Trey in his little puppy costume again, and the costume that kept Brad up until one in the morning. But pictures will be enough :)

I'm not really sure what to share this week - I got sick but it only lasted for a day so it wasn't too bad. Also, I accompanied an elder in my zone, Elder Holmquist, at the Senior Missionary Orientation on Monday. We didn't think we'd be chosen to perform because another elder sang the exact same song at a devotional, but I didn't think about just how many meetings they have here and how many musical numbers they need. Now that I survived accompanying that musical number, I'm accompanying another one for an elder in my district, Elder Reeder. He has a really great voice and the music is easy so I won't mess it up, so there's a chance we might perform it in front of EVERYONE. We're trying out tomorrow so....we'll see how that goes.

I was released from my calling as the Coordinating Sister for our zone, and my companion Hermana Ivey was called in my place, so I have less meetings on Sundays and more free time to study. Even though I didn't do too much for my calling - since there were only three other sisters in our zone and they left a week ago for Guatemala - I liked the trainings and the meetings. I liked being in branch council because it reminded me of the ward council in my singles ward that I went to for a year because of my calling as an FHE co-chair. I just like having the opportunity to serve and help people.

And I was again reminded of that this week. It seems like something I shouldn't forget, but sometimes I lose track of it. I've been trying to regain that focus in the past few days. I can't remember exactly what the Sunday fireside talked about, but I remember it made me ask myself, How can I remember my commitment to think of others before myself? How can I remember that as the reason I am here? Pretty much everything I do as a missionary is to help other people, except for writing emails and letters to friends and families. But at last night's devotional by Don R. Clarke of the Seventy, who also spoke in Conference this month, he reminded us that what we write in our emails should be uplifting to those who read it. So, I'm trying to focus more on relaying the things I have learned here, in the chance that it will bless the lives of those who read it. I'm no fountain of knowledge, I'm still figuring things out - I was even hesitant to get a blog because I felt somewhat uncomfortable asking people to listen to me. I hate it when things are all about me - I am not even a huge fan of my own birthday. So I don't want these emails to just be boring journal entries, or just a layout - a schedule - of my week. I decided to serve a mission because I want to help people - that's my whole purpose for the next 17 months. In an effort to do that, I may not write every week anymore - sometimes it gets exhausting just thinking about all I've learned in only one week's time. But I will write to share important experiences I have and essential lessons I learn.

That being said, and in reference to the devotional last night mentioned above, Don R. Clarke focused his talk on one of the most important words in our missionary purpose. The missionary purpose is to "invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end." Elder Clarke mentioned several different ways that we can help people. I know that if I focus on that one word - help - throughout my entire mission, I will be given the ability and power from God to change lives by bringing them to a knowledge of the truth. In Sunday School one day, a while back, my teacher related that the central message of the gospel is love: love of God, love for others, the love of Jesus Christ displayed through His Atonement. If we show love, which can only be done through serving each other, we can change lives by taking upon ourselves the name of Christ. There was this quote on my boss/uncle's computer from Gandhi that said, "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." If you heard the talks from Elder Holland and Elder Hales, it tells us how to be Christians: love God and love others. And that's the simple message that I'm sharing, and that we can all share wherever we go.

Anyways, that's my little two-cents for the week. Hope you all have fun tonight!

Another week down!

I feel kind of old, especially since I've seen a lot of people leave since I've been here. It's weird to think that I'd be leaving right now if the new rules were in place, if I was only here for six weeks total, and I'm glad that change won't affect me. I need all the time I can get to prepared. But the biggest thing I've learned this week is the best way to get better at something is to do it. In most of the lessons I've taught, I've stayed pretty quiet and let my companion do most of the talking because I didn't know how to say the things I wanted to say. It's affected the quality of the lessons more than just a couple of times - she's a great missionary, but I know there are things I need to contribute. This week, I just made it a goal to start talking, even if I don't know how I'm going to get the words out. I have learned A LOT of Spanish in 6 weeks - the fact that I can have a 20 minute conversation with someone in Spanish - and understand them for the most part - blows my mind. I know I'll get my feet kicked out from underneath me when I get to the field and won't understand anything again, but it gives me faith that I'll be able to be an effective missionary even when speaking in Spanish.

A few things happened this week, but I'm having a hard time recollecting everything right now. I was lucky enough to snag one of the coveted computers in the laundry room (the only computers we can use when not in missionary attire) but that means I didn't prepare what I was going to say. Everything has been good here though. Sometimes every week feels the same, but we had five different substitute teachers this weekend because one of my teachers was out of town and the other one was sick. It was a really interesting experience. We didn't get to teach as much, but we learned a lot because they all taught us differently. We focused mostly on how to teach to the needs of our investigators and that helped a lot. Once you know what they need, the lesson just seems to flow and you know what they need to hear. It's amazing how I've felt the Spirit guide our lessons in the past few days when I really tried focusing on it.

We had another "celebrity" at Relief Society this week. Ann Dibbs, the 2nd counselor in the Young Women's General Relief Society Presidency, came and spoke to us. She spoke for over an hour, so our second etiquette lesson was cancelled this week. Thank heaven. She shared a really great message about being virtuous, and then asked for any questions we had about her dad - Thomas S. Monson. She cleared up the misconception that he dyes his hair - it's still naturally brown. So that was a fun fact to learn about the Prophet. It was really cool to hear her stories about the lessons he taught her growing up.

And then at last night's devotional, Larry Echo Hawk of the Quorum of the Seventy spoke to us. So, since Conference, we've had 5 speakers that also spoke in Conference: Elder Bednar, Elder Shayne Bowen, the Relief Society President (I can't remember her name for the life of me right now), Sister Ann Dibbs and Elder Larry Echo Hawk. It's cool seeing all of them outside of Conference. I loved their talks in Conference, but their talks to us at the MTC are so much more personal. Usually those talks are about HOW we can be good missionaries; Elder Echo Hawk's talk reminded me of WHY we should be good missionaries since he shared his conversion story, and how his conversion changed his entire life. He is a descendant of the Native Americans and his life wasn't going anywhere. Because the missionaries knocked on his door, his family was baptized. Then, his Priest's Quorum Leader wanted to help him, and decided to help him train for football. He went through a lot of other experiences along the way, but his hard work paid off and he became a first-generation college student because he received a football scholarship to BYU, where he played all four years despite his size. He owes everything to the missionaries because they got the ball rolling so he was able to change his whole life. He went to law school, taught law at BYU, was attorney general in Idaho, and worked in the federal government regarding Native American relations. All of his kids have gone to college, and some of them have served missions too. My dad sent me a thought this past week about Alma the Younger and how he became a great leader after being converted to the Lord, and asked me to think about potential of the people I teach to become great leaders if they are truly converted. I think I said this last week, but I'm so excited for that opportunity to change lives, and see how changing one life really can contribute to the changing of the world.

Also - I lost one of my skirts somehow this week. Not really sure how that happened. But it was my mom's least favorite - and by that, I mean she hated it - so she'll probably be happy about that.

It's finally cold here - I woke up to a little snow this morning and put on a sweater for the first time. But most of the MTC is covered so it's not bothering me too much. And I'll miss the worst of winter here and completely SKIP winter next year so I can't really complain.

And.....I think that's it. EXCEPT.....Sunday morning. The fire alarm went off in our building at 6am Sunday morning. I had just woken up but I was still lying in bed. We all jumped up and ran outside. There wasn't a fire - they think it went off because of some dust on the sensor. Even though it was clear, we had to wait for a technician to come and check it out. So....we literally sat outside for an hour. They had opened up the gym, but it was warm enough outside so me, Hermana Johnson, Hermana Riter and Hermana Ivey just laid outside on the cement. A few other sisters that we knew from another zone joined us when the sisters inside the gym started singing hymns like "There is Sunshine in my Soul". I'm just glad I wasn't in there for that. I don't know what it is about Sunday mornings - they just always have to start out bad apparently. But they turn out pretty good.

And this Sunday, I'm accompanying an elder in my branch for "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief". We tried out to perform at one of the devotionals on Thursday morning but we hadn't heard back yet. And then, at this Sunday's fireside, an elder sang the EXACT same song. So....I wish they had just told us that we didn't have a shot because someone else was about to perform the same song. I'm also accompanying an elder in my district with another musical number and we're trying out either tomorrow or next Thursday. It's been nice playing the piano again - I haven't had much time here to do so, but I've played more here than I have in the past few years.

So, that's that. Love you all!

One month!

I can't believe it's already been a month. Anyone who has been to the MTC will understand how strange time is here; it's almost impossible to explain to anyone who hasn't been here. It seems like it flew by, but there were a lot of long hard days and looking back, I have learned SO MUCH just in this month - in regards to Spanish, the gospel, everything. I caved and bought Jesus the Christ and love reading it. Sometimes it evens distracts me from what I'm supposed to be doing, but I'm trying to read it only occasionally when I have a little extra time - like P day!

I feel like a lot has happened this week. When I wrote last week, I hadn't seen Parker yet, but I saw him the very next morning at breakfast and realized we have all our meals at the same time! I usually see him every meal, if only for a few seconds, so that's been a nice little blessing. The last month here at the MTC will probably be the hardest, especially since he won't be around anymore. I'm still loving it here, but I'm slowly getting more and more antsy to get to San Francisco. Once Parker is gone, I'm pretty sure I'll be ready to go - mentally at least. But for now, I'm just enjoying all the time I have to study Spanish and Preach My Gospel and the scriptures so it's been great.

We've had a couple problems in my dorm this week. Last Wednesday night, our room was infested with bugs - we probably killed about 10 bugs that night and then we sealed up the windows with Scotch tape - it was all we had. We've got some duct tape on it now but......bugs still keep getting in. So, that's been fun. Also, the building lost water Saturday night around 10pm and it was out all night. They were drilling right outside our window for a couple hours, keeping two of my roommates up - thank heaven I sleep like a rock. Then we all got up early Sunday morning, at 6am, to figure out what was going on and the water still wasn't fixed. The signs on the bathroom door directed us to a different building so we could get ready, but there were only two bathrooms that were tiny and no showers. There were only a few people there when we got there around 6:15 and we were all just imagining the rush of girls that were going to wake up at 6:30 and all rush over and cram into these bathrooms. But when we got back to our building, the water was back on. It was literally fixed within minutes of everyone in the building waking up. I guess you could say it was a miracle, but I was just a little put off initially. But it is what it is - just bad luck. And kind of a good story.

Sunday was my first Relief Society meeting here at the MTC because it was the first normal Sunday I've had here at the MTC - no temple dedications, fasting, or general conference. The Relief Society General President came to speak to us - she spoke at the Relief Society General Meeting and at the Sunday morning session of Conference so like Bednar, I've heard from her a lot recently. It was a really great meeting, and her words answered a lot of the questions I've been having. After the meeting, we were all invited to go meet her if we'd like, but I couldn't go because I had to stay for the dress and grooming meeting for all the "new" sisters. Most of it was about modesty so it was probably a good thing to hear and remember. But the last ten minutes were about etiquette. One of the wives of the MTC Presidency taught us how to sit down in our chairs and how to go up the stairs and how to walk and all sorts of stuff. My mother will probably appreciate this, but all the hermanas in my district, myself included, didn't really. I understand where they're coming from but....I go up five flights of stairs multiple times everyday to get to my classroom. And I'm usually running late. I don't have time to glide up the stairs. And holding your knees together when you sit is really hard! If we have skirts that cover our knees it shouldn't matter if they're spaced a little apart, should it? And there was one thing they said that kind of caused my heart to break: "Don't skip." After hearing that, Hermana Riter said, "They're trying to suck the joy out of my life." My biggest problem with the etiquette thing is just the fact that they don't give any type of etiquette lesson to the elders, who are two years younger and most of them right out of high school. I mean, when we go to the cafeteria, the elders just make a huge mess with their food and play with it - and it literally reminds me of high school. So....separate but equal? I think that should be applied here in terms of etiquette. But much to the dismay of my mother, I am sure, they did not address table manners. So....at least they're not trying to control that part of my life.

But it is kind of funny to think about how we are ALWAYS being watched here. We walked to the temple on Sunday, and saw two people get in trouble for meeting their family at the temple. I was about to tell all my friends that I go to the temple around 1pm every Sunday afternoon.....but after seeing that, I guess I shouldn't encourage anything of the sort. If anyone did come, I would only be able to talk to them for maybe 30 seconds before MTC security figured it out. When they're looking for someone, they just call the classroom directly. It will be nice to be accountable for myself once I get out of here and do the right thing not just because someone is hovering over me telling me what I need to be doing.

I'm already over time so I'll wrap this up. The one thing I've heard a lot of this week is remembering to keep a bird's eye view, to look at the big picture of why I'm here. At our devotional last night, the speaker asked "Why are you here?" My answer? To change the world. To change people's lives by helping them understand the plan of salvation and Christ's Atonement for us. To make people happier through that knowledge. And I know I can only do it through the Lord, but I know I can do it. He's given me the tools and resources and power to do so. Right now, at this time of my life, this is the best way I can make the world a better place. After the devotional, the first counselor of the Branch Presidency was talking about how in the world we live in, the economic and political times, this gospel is what people need. I can't remember who said this, but I read this quote the other day: "We have what they want." My knowledge of the gospel is a gift, a gift I've been commanded to share. I've been given this calling in order to do so. The only way to change the world is one life at a time. And that's what keeps me going each day.

Have a wonderful week!

3rd week!

Hi everyone!

It's officially been three weeks.....which also means my brother Parker is finally here!!! I haven't seen him yet, but I'm sure I'll run into him sometime in the next few days. Things are good here - I don't know, there isn't much to say. Every week is pretty much the same, but Conference made this week a little different. It was quite extraordinary to be at the MTC when President Monson made the historic declaration that 18 year-old men and 19 year-old women can now serve missions. Right after he sat down, the entire auditorium was bustling for a few minutes during the choir number. The news doesn't affect me much at all; after all, I'm already here and Parker just got here today and most of my guy friends have already gone and most of my girl friends are already married. But it had been a hard week - I felt I had learned so much and progressed so much in the first two weeks, and so last week I felt like I wasn't going anywhere or getting any better. As President Monson spoke those words, words that I know came directly from our Father in Heaven, I was reminded at how much joy I feel in the privilege and opportunity I have to share the gospel. I was again reminded why I am here - I feel like that reminder comes at least once a day. I need it to; it would be hard to do everything I do without it.

But I am so grateful that the Lord gives us living prophets. As we've been learning how to teach the first lesson, which is all about the restoration of the gospel, we often tell investigators that one of the ways that we know God loves us is through prophets. I never really looked at it that way until this conference. I loved many of the talks focused on the fact that if we are truly converted, if we really love the Lord, we will change for him - we will do the things he wants us to do, we will become the people he wants us to become. I know that's the only way I will be able to be a successful missionary.

For Conference, we had to sit in the auditorium for EVERY SESSION. Classes were cancelled, so it was a nice break, but it was still a long weekend. I loved President Uchtdorf's talk; he is particularly good at talking about temporal things in spiritual ways, and it reminded me that I don't want any regrets: on my mission, in my education, in my entire life. I especially loved the Saturday afternoon session of conference: it's always my favorite session - all of the talks were great. While the elders all watched the priesthood session, all the sisters watched the Relief Society session. I loved how much it focused on the Atonement and how it's not just for our sins and our mistakes. It was probably the most powerful General Relief Society Meeting I have ever seen.

The Sunday sessions were great too, especially Holland's talks. He always gives me a different perspective on things. And then, after having conference all day, we had one of our regular Sunday night firesides where Chad Lewis came and spoke to us. Apparently he played football for BYU and played in the NFL for 9 years - I can't remember what team. He had some really ineresting stories that he was able to relate back to the gospel, and it was really interesting. It was mostly geared towards the elders - obviously - but it was a good message. Then we had our normal Sunday night routine, where we attend a rebroadcast of a certain MTC devotional that we pick. My district all saw a talk by Elder Bednar entitled "The Character of Christ" which was very similar to the message he shared at our special stake meeting a few weeks ago before I came here. So I'd heard from Elder Bednar three times in the past month.

AND THEN.....Elder Bednar came and spoke at our Tuesday night devotional last night. So....he's obviously got something to say that I need to hear. I hope I finally picked up on it last night. But anyways, that was really cool. He talked about how to study the things we learned from Conference. It felt good to be in the presence of an apostle of God, and I felt the same thing I felt when I went to a session of conference last spring, and when I went to that special stake meeting.

I welcomed the new district last week so that was fun - there are three hermanas and they leave in three weeks for the MTC in Guatemala. I got to skip a few hours of class for orientation so that was a nice break. Also, my companion and I have been counting - here at the MTC, we have sung "Called to Serve" five times as a collective whole, and we only meet together twice a week. It's obviously the song of choice.

Anyways, P-day is almost over and we have a lesson tonight and then another one in the morning. And between that, we have a little goodbye party for Hermana Dalia in our district who leaves tomorrow for the Dominican Republic MTC. But I hope everyone enjoyed General Conference and learned something - I know I did.

Love, Hermana Hunsaker