A week of miracles and adventures

"It has been a little over two months, but i thought it was perfect!"

Hola!!! How is everyone doing?! I hope all is going well.

Ok wow what a week!!! First of all, we arent homeless anymore! We finally moved into our own house that is actually in our sector and we share it with Hermana Allred and Hermana Purse! We have the best view of the lake and we can see Bolivia and the floating islands from our room! But.. remember how when I was getting my mission call how I said I wanted to shower out of a bucket? Well we didnt have water or a shower in the house for pretty much all week so on Friday I could not handle being dirty anymore so I showered out of a bucket! Oh it was an adventure... Also my companion and Hermana Allred and Hermana Rassmussen left for Lima this morning so I am in a trio with Hermana Purse from the CCM and the cutest Latina Hermana Olivaras. Hermana Purse and I are excited to put our spanish to the test and really learn more spanish since we basically just know Gospel talk.

Ok so I think I told you how we found a woman named Gina with cancer and how it is hard for her someimes to believe in God? Well we finally got anoher appointment with her and a lot of her family was there visiting so we got to teach all of them! It was so cool. We taught about how families can be together forever and what we need to do on Earth in order to be an eternal family. It was such a special lesson, especially after finding out about great  grandma. Gina then told us that she has always seen other missionaries walk past her door but none of them ever knocked, we were the first and it was when she needed us the most. All of us agreed that God had sent us to her at this specific time for a reason. We went back to her house on Saturday with the elders to give her a blessing of health and oh my goodness, I felt myself burning with the spirit the whole time. It was amazing. The blessing told her that if she has faith, she will be abled to be healed to her hearts desire and that she will be able to take care of her family. It then turned to a blessing of comfort that said God has sent her to the earth for a reason and is wants her to participate in the ordinances of the gospel. I know that this is the family we have been praying for. They are all so ready for this message, you can literally see it in their faces. I love this family and I know that the gospel is already blessing them so much. It is the most incredible thing to see people change when they are taught the gospel. I am reminded everyday how amazing and perfect this gospel is. And I know without a doubt it is TRUE.

Also, one night we were looking for this one house and decided to knock on a different door and we found an old man and his wife who are members, but the wife is less active because she cant walk. We asked if we could come in and share a message and it was the most humbling experience by far. They live in the most poverty I have ever seen. Their house is one tiny room wit a tiny bed and a tiny little electric stove that we us for camping and their floor is all dirt. All they have to eat are potatoes and they only have very few clothes. The Hermana told us how she tries to walk but it hurts and she feels dizzy. Sometimes it is hard for her to have faith. She sees other people walking and wishes she could walk and she just cried in our arms saying she cant go to the doctor because her husband doesnt have a job. I just cried with her and we taught how the gospel is the greatest message of joy because this life is so short and as long as we do our part, we will have eternal happiness in the presence of God and with our families.

   

I am so beyond grateful for the gospel in my life, a loving family, a comfortable life, and a healthy body. This week I really have been able to think how blessed I truly am. It makes me want to work so hard and serve with so much love because I have been blessed and I want to help bless the lives of the beautiful people here in Puru. The people in Puno may be hard hearted, but I love them and this gospel has softened many of their hearts.

I love you all!! Remember how much we have been blessed and try to serve as much as you can because it brings the most amount of true happiness!!!

Love always and forever,

      Hermana Hunter

The Mission Week 8

Hi! Oh man what a week... we had zero success some days and a lot of success other days. It is hard opening a new sector, but it is also and adventure! 

So we have been working with this investigador named Moises, he is 25 and so awesome. Our first lesson with him he told us he wants to get baptized but he feels that something is holding him back. It really hurts to see the adversary working so hard on these people with such a desire to change their lives. Well Moises is very hard for me to understand, but I just tried so hard to focus on the promptings of the spirit and it really is the best way! I shared a scripture with him from Alma 32 21 and he told me that it really helped him! The next lesson we had with him we talked a lot about faith and how the right way is not always the easy way. At the end we asked him to have faith and set a date and a goal to be baptized and he said yes! He made the goal to be baptized this coming Saturday! The sad part is, he did not come to church yesterday so he has to wait another week. We had a very serious talk about the sabbath day and I felt so guided by the spirit! I was really involved in the lesson and it felt so good! But he is still getting baptized and we are so excited!

My favorite part of the week was the other day when we had our first lesson with our new investigator Elbia. She is 24 with two kids and a single mom. We were walking to a cita and saw her in front of her little tienda and I felt the strongest impression to go talk to her, good thing because it was the most amazing lesson! We planned to visit another day and then we planned to teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but when we got there and started asking her questions we were guided to teach the Plan of Salvation. Oh wow am I grateful for this plan! It was amazing because my Spanish was actually the best it has been and I got to share most of what was in my heart. I kept asking her how she felt about things after we talked about each part like the atonement, the ressurecction and all of that and she would just say I feel better and I feel calm. I was getting so excited! Then I talked to her about the things that she needs to do on earth in order to get to the Celestial Kindom, which she was so excited to learn about. She told us she did not know what would happen after this life and to see her face light up while teaching her that life on earth is not the end was amazing! I asked her where she thinks she is on the steps to returning to live with God and her family and she said faith in Jesus Christ. I then felt so strongly prompted and just asked her... will you exercise your faith and be baptized? she jumped a little then looked up and me and said YES! Ah it was th best because it was the first lesson! It just proved to me that some people are so ready for the gospel and have been waithing for this message of hope all their lives. I really got to reflect on how much I have been blessed in my life. Especially when we walk into these peoples homes that sometimes dont have roofs, dirt floors, sometimes even blankets for walls. It is so poor here, but it has been the most humbling experience for me already.

We also got interviews from President this week which is always the best! We talked about faith in a way that I have never talked about. Have you ever imagined faith as something you could reach over and grab off the table? I had not. But faith is something a lot of us do not have enough of. There are three levels of faith. the first level being a wishful or hopeful faith. Too many of us are at this level. We hope for things to happen or hope for God to bless us with something. This is not enough. The next level is a little better, but still more hopeful. The top level is where we need to be. It is the expectant faith. I expect for this to happen, I expect that I will recieve this. This does not mean we can not do our part or that God will maybe change His mind on something, because all thimgs are according to His will since He is the one with a plan for us, but if we have more of an expectant faith, it will change our lives.

Something else is we are taught to teach our investigators inspired questions, but have you ever thought to ask yourself inspired questions? probably not. But we need to! If we will ask ourselves inspired questions like Am I the manner of missionary, mom, husband, friend, sibling, priesthood holder I want to be? You can ask yourself this question for whatever title you have, You can also ask, have I done something today that has strengthened my faith? Do I have the relationship with my Heavenly Father that I desire to have? If we will ask ourselves inspired questions, it will change our lives!

Well I love you all. This week I have been especially grateful for the family and friends that I have in my life. Thank you for all the love, support, and prayers. I pray for you all every day as well!!!

Ps that little old lady I told you about that ignores us, well I shared my favorite scripture with her and every day we pass by her she smiles and strikes up conversations now!!! the gospel changes people!

Love always,

Hermana Hunter

I made it to the field!!

Hi everyone!!! 

Oh my goodness seeing your faces was the best thing ever, but also the hardest thing. The bishops wife just held me in her arms after and gave me kisses so it was nice to have a mommy hug.

Anyways, holy cow I am a for real missionary now!! It is CRAZY here. I was in Cusco for three days where we visited the Christo Blanco and the plaza and got to go contacting in the plaza de armas in Cusco with our new companions! Cusco is beautiful and I hope I get to serve there eventually. Our mission is huge. We have everything from cities to jungles and everything in between. I am in Puno wich is right next to lake Titikaka or however you spell it and my sector is Huanya Capac. It is freezing here, but I am surviving!! the city is worth being cold! We have been warned that the people are a little hard hearted here, but so far it has not been too bad! Ive only gotten one door slammed in my face so far! Lots of drunks here though so at night time we have to be super careful. Also, the dogs here are vicious. Everyone in this mission that has gotten bit was in Puno.. but I have my dog zapper so I am sure I will be just fine!

 

Ok my companion is Hermana Beckstead and she is from Colorado. She has been out for 11 months and she is tall as well so we just tower over everyone here its hilarious. We are very different, but she is so sweet so that is all I care about! 

So we are actually opening this sector which is super cool, but also hard because we have to start from scratch. These past few days we have just been trying to get to know the area, members, and contact a ton. We actually have found some new investigators so I am super excited! One experience we had was we were walking up the mountain and we stopped at a snack shop and started talking to this woman, she had her back towards us and was kinda ignoring us, and then I asked her what is most imoprtant in her life. She said her family and so I told her how the gospel of Jesus Christ blesses families and changes lives and I know this because it has blessed my family and changed my life. I also told her that our message is something very special and that it is ture. She then turned around to face us and started really listening to us and told us we could come visit her! It was amazing to see someones heart be softened just through a small testimony. We also taught a woman named Maribel at her front door. She is catholic and told us she is concerned about her health, we asked if she wanted us to pray with her and she agreed and asked me to say the prayer. I got so nervous, but I really just tried to let the spirit guide me to what I should say and after the prayer I couldnt remember all of the things I said, but Maribel said we could come visit her this week so I knew that somewhere in my prayer she felt something and that is all that matters! I have learned a lot this week to really let the spirit be the teacher because these people probably will not remember all the words we say, but they will remember how they felt so if I can touch their hearts somehow and have them feel the spirit, I have done my job as a missionary because the real converter is the spirit.

Not going to lie, this first week in the field has been tough. My trainer, the bishop, and our District Leader keep telling me I speak better Spanish than most new missionaries, but a lot of times I have no idea what is going on and its kinda hard to not feel useless or stupid when they laugh and say oh greenga, but I have made a point this week to really let the spirit guide me in all things and develop a stronger relationship with my Heavenly Father. I had one of my first experiences where I literally felt like God was talking to me through the Book of Mormon. I love this gospel with all my heart. Every time I start feeling down, I pick up the Book of Mormon or say a prayer and I immediately feel my Heavenly Father close to my side. I love this feeling and I love the little and big miracles I have seen every day since I have been here. I know I truly am in Gods hands and I have made a promise to Him that I am putting ALL my trust in Him. 

I hope everyone is doing well! Oh I was told if you are going to send packages, put mary stickers and crosses on them so that they get here easier and its more likely it wont get stolen! Funny, but true.

I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!!! as always, thank you for your prayers. I feel very loved and so close to you even though I am far away.

Love always and forever

     Hermana Kenzie Hunter