Just Kidding. Christmas in Topeka

So last P-Day we get a call from President Bell at around 8:30. He said "Do you remember that song? I'll go where you want me to go?" We both looked at each other and realized that one of us was leaving. "You Elders are both going to Topeka Kansas. Be in Wichita tomorrow at 1" So we took the rest of the night, packed our things and hit the road back to the opposite side of the Mission. 

So we got to spend Christmas here in Topeka Kansas. It has been super awesome! We got to spend Christmas here with people we've never met before, which made it that much better. Skyping was super fun. Although I am super sad that Christmas has come to an end. We are switching back to giving out regular Mormon.org cards instead of the He is the Gift cards. But we still have our tree up and to be honest it'll probably be up for the rest of the year. or at least the time that I will be serving here. 

We got to see so many awesome miracles this week. When we got here we didn't have a big teaching pool or anything but we have been able to meet a bunch of awesome people and seen so many awesome miracles. It's awesome to be back in civilization and having more then just Walmart in the town. also there are so many people! 

It's been a crazy couple of weeks but it's been awesome! I hope you all had a great Christmas! Love you all!

-Elder Hunt

Christmas in Colorado

So Christmas is coming way quicker then I ever wanted it to. I wish that we could just freeze time right here. This Christmas season I have been able to focus on the Savior more then I ever have before and It's been amazing. It truly has changed the meaning of Christmas for me.

This week has been super fun and super fast. A fun story that happened this week. So we get this text from a member that says "The roads are muddy and getting the big is harder then we thought. It's going to be muddy, bloody and smelling. Wear appropriate clothes. See ya at 8" So we were thoroughly confused, but apparently the Sisters had signed us all up to help with a killing and gutting a pig. So we get up there and the Pig is already dead and hanging upside down and it's our job to shave and skin it. It was definitely an experience let me tell you. We used knifes and the hair and top layer of the skin would fly back into your face. But we had to leave before they gutted it because it was passed curfew. Which was a real bummer. But we did get to eat it at their daughters wedding this weekend. It was really good!

Last night we drove to Garden City for the mission presidents devotional. It's where all the investigators and recent converts are invited to share their testimonies and hear the Mission President speak. It was super spiritual. We watched the He is the Gift video and then after you had the opportunity to stand up and share what your gift to the savior was this year. It was a very spiritual and special experience.

Last night on the drive to Garden we listened to a talk entitled Self Worth by Hyrum Smith (not the Hyrum smith...) and it is such a great talk. It talks about how despite all the put downs and let downs that are inevitably going to happen in life that if your self esteem is based on Christ it cannot fail. And when you know who you are and who you are supposed to be you can be confident dignified and find peace in your life.  It's such a great talk!

We also got to volunteer with the Toys for Tots drive out here. We got to separate all the presents into bags and on Christmas Eve we get to help deliver them to the families! I am super excited for that! I love the service that inevitable comes from gift giving during the Christmas season.

We have seen so many miracles this week and it's been so amazing to be able to be serving the Lord out here is Colorado. Lamar is awesome. The people are amazing and I can't wait for these next couple of weeks.

Love you all so much!

-Elder Hunt

First Week In Colorado

This week has been so great and super fast! I am learning to LOVE Colorado! Lamar is super small town and is so different then Wichita. They both have such a big difference. The people here are so much nicer and willing to talk to you. Also everyone know EVERYONE. haha so it's pretty rare that somebody hasn't heard of at least one member in the ward.

This week we saw a huge miracle. We have been praying to find families to teach. We have found three families this week. The one that was a huge Miracle is the Lingle Family. All of the kids were blessed in the Church as babies and they have been to the Church before and that's the church the associate the most with but they have never been baptized and they don't really know any doctrine or anything. But we have been able to teach them and it's been so awesome!

We had a baptism here in Lamar. I just met them on Monday and they have been working with Missionaries for a couple months now. The Mom and Son got baptized on Saturday. They are such an awesome family and it was a great experience to see them be baptized. We actually have dinner with them tonight so that will be super fun!

My Companion is AWESOME! I love him so much. He's super funny and we just laugh and work hard like all day. It's the best. This has been such a great week and has gone by so fast.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I LOVE CHRISTMAS TIME! It's such a great time to focus on our Savior and the gift that he gave the world. We have been sharing the video He is the Gift with everyone we meet and it's such a great video. If you haven't seen it. look it up now! The spirit is so strong every time we watch it. It truly portrays what Christmas is about and why we really should be celebrating.

Hope you all have such a great week! Love you all!

-Elder Hunt

Elder Hoak

Elder Ives

This week has been great! My companion is awesome! I don't think I've ever laughed so much! and he's such a great missionary and it's just been such a great week. I'm actually sad he goes home in February. but it'll be such a fun couple of weeks. He was an AP for like 6 months so he just wants to work has hard has possible but he makes it fun and it's just great! I'm loving it. The TOWN IS SO FREAKING SMALL! hah we went to a less actives house and we had to drive like 30 minutes out of town and then like 15 min on a dirt road and then when we got there the house was like empty and so quiet. it was like the end of the world type thing. it was crazy.

 

The weather has been great. Like 60s this week. It snowed last night but it's cleared up now so that's nice. 

Hello from Lamar, Colorado

So this week has been great! This week we had a Nativity Event and it was awesome! We had about 250 donated nativities in the cultural hall, live music in the chapel, refreshments, and a kids room where you could make your own art activities and stuff. Super awesome event that had a bunch of people come. It was a great way to really spread the Christmas cheer. I LOVE CHRISTMAS TIME! Everyone that hasn't seen He is the Gift, you should go watch it now! It's awesome! It brings the Christmas spirit so amazingly every time  and really focuses on the true meaning of Christmas. 

 My new companion and I just finally got into the swing of things. He knew everyone that was progressing and it was awesome! We were going strong and everything was great. Then I get a call from the Assistant on Saturday. He told me I was being transferred to Lamar Colorado and that I needed to be there on Monday morning. So I packed my bags, said my goodbyes and here I am. I have a new companion, new area, and know no one. But it's awesome! I know that this is where the Lord needs me and I'm super excited to see what he has in store for me here! My new companion is such a great missionary and I'm so excited to learn all the things that he has to teach me! 

I have truly learned to rely on prayer this week. There was so many instances were my companion and I needed a little push and we prayed for it and it came. I know that our Heavenly Father loves each and everyone of us and he really does have a plan. I don't know where I would be without prayer and the spirit that comes with it. 

I hope you all have a great week, Love you all so much! Thank you for the love and prayers!

-Elder Hunt 

Thanksgiving in the KWM

Sorry this week is going to be a little short! I'm running a little late on time. I can't believe how fast two hours goes by each week! There's never enough time to do everything I need!

This week has been awesome! We got to sing at our transfer devotional which was pretty fun! I have a video of it but it's to big to send but maybe I'll get it to everyone some how! My new companion is pretty cool. We're still trying to get in the swing of things but this transfer is going to be awesome!

Thanksgiving was great! We got to eat dinner at some members houses and talk to a bunch of cool people. We ate way to much, but that's the fun part! I love this time of year because it let's me reflect on some of the things I am thankful for! It truly is amazing how blessed we are each and every day. I love how blessed we are for everything!

I love this time of year. We have been watching He is the Gift video a lot and it really is so amazing. If you haven't seen it you should go watch it now. It perfectly brings in the spirit of Christmas! Its such a great time of year that we get to reflect on Christ and his infinite atonement!

Love each and everyone of you!

-Elder Hunt

This weeks been great! Thanksgiving was super fun! We had two dinners with members of the ward and it was super fun! We were able to stretch them pretty much all day with some stops to investigators houses along the way. I ate a bunch, and surprisingly there wasn't anything super different here. I was thinking the same thing, like what if they don't serve turkey in this place? but they do and it's pretty much the same side dishes. Nothing tooo fancy. We ate dinner with a younger couple that is just outta college with a little baby so they prepared just turkey mash potatoes and stuffing, but it was still really good. 

This weekends weather has been awesome! It was in the 60's Friday and Saturday and I was able to wear short sleeved shirts!!! However, it quickly changed on Sunday and it's back in the 20's probably here to stay. but we get the car back this week so that's nice! My new companion is pretty cool. He's from Oregon and super cool! He's been out for about 8 months. We get along pretty well.