Last transfer. "And so it begins".......

Elder de Jesus got transferred, I’m so sad, he’s been the best companion I’ve ever had and he taught me so much. We had a good last week here together. My new companion is ELDER KITRAS and all I know is that he’s from Nevada and that he is awesome! He goes home in 4 more transfers.

So now for the week . . . .  Monday and Tuesday we were in Tuxtla for our mission leader conference and it was amazing, as usual. The goal in the mission this month is to have lessons with a member present and so we talked about really getting the members involved in the work and not just having a body present! President George sure loves us, every time he speaks to us, you can just here it in his voice.

Thursday we had our zone meeting and it all went very well. I love working with the missionaries and teaching them. After the zone meeting my companion blindfolded me and lead me to a room where we celebrated all the June birthdays! It was awesome! Then I got my face smashed in a cake. It’s a Mexican tradition. Everyone chants "Mordida! Mordida!" which is "Take a BITE! Take a BITE!” I’ll explain it all later.

 The highlights of this week . . . .

Asusncion – she’s a less active lady and her husband and kids aren’t members. We visited her and talked about family history. She really wants to go to the temple, she’s never been before! She came to church and she’s starting to get her life back on track.

Anamias – he’s a less active man who had some problems in the church and hasn’t been there for almost a year. We’ve been motivating him and he too finally came to church! It was great to see him walk thru those doors.

Alfredo is reading the Book of Mormon and really likes it, he just hasn’t been to church yet. This week were going to go with one of the young men so that he has a friend at church and feels more comfortable coming.

We found a new investigator named Elsi. She’s a 30 year old single mother and her ex is a ward member. Kind of weird but we had a fantastic lesson with her about the restoration,

Freddy is AWESOME! He’s staying strong and we gave him a white shirt and tie on Sunday. He just about cried, especially when we said that Elder de Jesus was getting transferred, but he’s doing great and staying strong!

So that was basically the highlights of the week. The time is going by way too fast! I can’t believe how fast it’s gone but I’m ready to end the race sprinting and can’t wait to see what the Lord has prepared for me these last few month of my mission.

Love you all and miss you all tons!

Elder Hunt

Freddy's baptism!

FREDDY GOT BAPTISED! WOOHOO! It was incredible!

So, quickly, the highlights of the week . . . . 

It rained a TON! It was insane how much it rained! I think every day we came into the house soaked! But thankfully we haven’t been sick at all.

We found a new investigator named Alfredo. He’s the son of a recent convert. We taught him the restoration and it was such a powerful lesson! The spirit testified of our words and he asked the perfect questions. Questions like why are there so many churches and how can I know which church is true? It was great.

We’re also working with a part member family, Selene and her boyfriend Luis. They want to get married and he wants to get baptized but it’s a complicated situation because her last husband was military and they have some sort of health care thing which they need for their daughter and if they get married they won’t have it anymore. I just want them to get married because I know if they keep the commandments, God will bless them! Anyway, were working on it.

The best part of the week was with Freddy’s baptism. He’s such a great guy who has gone through a lot of trials and persecution for joining the church but he was so ready and has made a huge change in his life!

So Saturday morning we went over to the church to turn on the font and as we turned on the hot water faucet the handle blew off the wall from the water pressure! It was crazy! We took a video of me trying to put it back on. I’ll have to send you all the pictures and stuff next week because this cyber doesn’t read my memory card.

Anyway, other than that little fiasco Freddy's baptism was awesome! When he went down into the water the room was filled with the Spirit and you could almost feel it as his sins were washed away. When he came to church he was a new person! A huge smile on his face. He just looked different!

It was a fantastic week. Sure love being a missionary. Transfers are next week, I hope Elder de Jesus doesn’t leave, I sure love working with him, I want him to "kill me off." Ha!

Love and miss you all tons!

Elder Hunt

A "weird" week

I use that word "weird" not in a funny way, but the way that it really is, strange and different. I can’t say too much about it now, but my companion and I have been handling a sensitive and tragic situation in our zone the past several days and it's eight o’ clock at night and I just don’t have time. This is going to be a short letter but I promise next week's will be longer.

That being said, here is the week in a nutshell . . . .

Everything started off really well this week. Monday we went to Tuxtla for a multi-zone conference with president and the assistants. It was amazing. What put the cherry on top was that we ALL went to the temple afterward. I LOVE THE TEMPLE! I’m so glad we'll have one in Tucson soon.

Wednesday we got back and did exchanges with one of the district leaders and his companion. I was with the district leader Elder Smith and it was a blast. We were able to see some pretty great miracles as we worked hard that day.

Friday we went to Ocosingo again for a baptismal interview and my companion went with the district leader to another village called Vajalon to do some interviews. It was awesome. 

Saturday we got back and had a fun branch activity. Not many people came but those who did had a blast. We did a Mormon Cranium game and it was a lot of fun. Saturday night we were informed of the thing I mentioned at the first of the letter and my companion had to go to another area with the district president and some other members while I stayed in San Cristobal with the other elders. Like I said I don’t have time to get into details, but we had to do a lot of improvising.

Sunday I went on splits with a ward member all day until my companion got home and then we went to drop off an elder in Tuxtla today and didn’t get back until about 7:00 tonight.

I feel so exhausted, yet I’m amazed at how the Lord helped me and my companion through a very difficult and challenging last couple of days. I’ll try to tell you a little about it next week, but most of the details will probably have to wait until I get home. Just know that we’re doing OK and that I love being a missionary and next week’s letter is going to be a lot better in part because Freddy is going to get baptized!!!!!

Love you all so much! Miss ya tons too

Love,

Elder Hunt

Rain and exchanges

This week was a little bit better week as far as work goes. My companion got a bit sick again so we had one day in the house, but he got some shots in the rear and that took care of things. (I don’t ever remember having to do that in the states but here in Mexico if someone’s sick and they want to get better they just get shots in the bum and it solves the whole problem!) It also rained like crazy!!!! I LOVE IT!!! After a cold day out doing missionary work it great to come home, take a hot shower and just snuggle in the covers!

We met with a new investigator named Antonio Hernandez and his wife Rosa. Antonio comes to church every week and is so awesome, but we never have been able to visit him. We sometimes set up  an appointment and then something happens like a sick companion or a meeting in Tuxtla so it always falls through, but this Tuesday we finally got to go to his house. What a humbling experience. He and his spouse and his 3 children live in a little house that’s probably 10 feet by 10 feet. They have basically nothing. They’re from the mountains of Chiapas and speak a dialect called Tzotzil. They speak ok Spanish but sometimes it’s hard to know what they’re trying to say. They seem interested and act like they want to learn more, but right now only Antonio comes to church though. I really want to learn tzotzil though and another dialect called tseltal.

Wednesday we went on exchanges with the district leader and his companion from district Huitepec. It was awesome. I went to the area of huitepec with Elder Luna, the district leader. We had a lunch appointment at "Yoi Sushi". It was AMAZING!!!! Who would have thought that I would eat my first sushi in Chiapas Mexico?

On Friday we had to go to a city called Ocosingo to do exchanges and a baptismal interview. It was so cool. Ocosingo is jungly and reminds me a lot of comalapa so it was nice to work over there with the elders. They’re going to have another baptism next week so were going to go back. I’ll try to take pictures.

Freddy is doing great and he’s getting ready for his baptism. We had an amazing lesson with him on Sunday. He’s been having a lot of trials with his ex-wife and friends and family who aren’t really supportive, but he’s determined to get baptized. We had to put his baptismal date back a week for some problems he’s had, but he’s determined to work hard for his baptismal date. We gave him a blessing to resist temptation and be able to have the courage to stand up for what he’s been learning, a very spirit filled lesson, so now he has the baptismal date for the 4th of June.

Anyway, that was my week over here in San Cristobal with Elder De Jesus. It’s been hard sometimes as a zone leader because of all the meetings and conferences and interviews and exchanges so we don’t have much time to work in our own area but I know that the Lord wants me here doing what I’m doing – Inviting others to come unto Christ.

Love you all so much. I know this church is the same church that Christ organized when he was on the earth and that it’s been restored.

Love,

Elder Hunt