Monday August 22, 2011

Not much to report this week. We had a pretty awesome zone conference. I learned a lot about making my studies better. We also learned more about mormon.org. You should totally go on there. I figure if you have some time to spend online what better place than a place that will build your faith (the first principle of the Gospel.) Anyway, it is a great website and a tool for missionary work.

We had some great lessons with some less active sisters in our wards. One was less active because she just moved here and doesn't know any one. We introduced her to a few people and she came to church. The other really wants to gain her own testimony. She has had a hard time because growing up in the church her parents did not live what they preached. She is the only member of her family that is coming to church. She wants her own family to be different. She wants to know the gospel so she can raise her kids in it.

I know that Jesus Christ lives I give you my living witness that he is the Son of God and the Savior of the world.

I love you.

Love,

Elder Hurst

Monday August 15, 2011

Dear mom, dad, and family,

Thank you for the package. I am doing great and loving it. This week was a lot of fun. I had the chance to go on exchanges with some of the spiritual giants of the mission, some of my missionary heroes, Elder Jones and Elder Grow and Elder Sommer. They are old missionaries that are getting ready for home but they are amazing. I learn so much from them and I am so glad they are in our Zone. We had a wonderful opportunity to rip a roof of an old shed. It was actually a lot of fun. I love doing that kind of work. Well, not much else to report. All is going well. We are just trying to find more people to teach. I love you.

Love,

Elder Hurst

Monday August 8, 2011

Hio,

That was a typo. I have had a great week. So many good things have been so good. There was a quote that a member of our ward said in priesthood. It went something along the lines of, “there is no better time then right now”. Because I have the gospel in my life I have been able to feel the healing power of the Atonement and I have that inner peace that comes with living the commandments. I can feel so much joy in the moment. I love living this gospel.

I know from experience that prayers of faith are answered. Here is a little example. I lost our phone and we were looking for it. I thought I may have left it in the institute but I said a prayer anyway. When we got to the institute the phone had an alarm that went off right as we went into the building. The phone was in the weirdest of places and I don't think we would have found it had the alarm not gone off. It also worked when trying to teach an investigator that hadn't been meeting with us but called us out of the blue.

Everything else is going great. We just started the stop smoking workshop with a less active guy that wants to baptize his son. And yup. You all are the best. Packages will never be neglected. :)

I Love You.

Love,

Elder Hurst

Monday August 1, 2011

WOW our living room looks really different. We don't have pink carpet any more.

This week was awesome. We found some new investigators. We had like 7 less actives, 3 investigators, and 3 potential investigators come to church. The talks were on service and hope, which are two great topics for investigators to hear. One of the Potential Investigators is our bishop’s daughter’s friend that came with her. While she was there she asked if she could have a Book of Mormon. Then she came and asked for the missionary lessons. It was sweet. Our stake president taught one of our classes. He discussed and expanded the words of our prophets. He told us of his experience with Elder Christofferson. Elder Christofferson said that during his prayers he spends time not saying any thing but just being there, like sitting by a fire absorbing its warmth. We can enjoy the warmth of the fire that is our Heavenly Father. I loved that because I have had that feeling on my mission during a prayer that I am pouring my soul into, or during the sacrament when I am focusing on my Savior’s love and the forgiving and healing power of His Atonement. It is so great to know His love and plan. The gospel is real and there are really people who are looking for it. The Lord is preparing them to hear it.

I am doing good. Um, if you want to send packages I would love to receive them. I would like some healthy things to snack on like nuts or something like that. Homemade bread would be great too. You all are the best. :)

I love you

Love,

Elder Hurst

Monday July 25, 2011

We are going to celebrate the 24th by going mountain biking, kind of. There are some park trails we are going on. My new companion is great. I feel like a lot of really good things are going to happen this transfer.

The garden sounds great. I love veggies and especially fresh ones. That is something I love about California: the fresh produce all the time. The weather has been hot. I guess it is cooler that usual but it’s still hot to me. So josh wants to be baptized the only problem is they are going out of town for work for like a month. But it will be okay. The Lord will take care of them.

We had some sweet experiences trying to contact old potential investigators from like 4 years ago. They no longer live there but the people that took their place were interested in our message. One was Mike. His mom died a few years ago and he wants to believe in an afterlife but he isn't sure if he can. We bore our testimonies and the Spirit was there.

Another one was Nick. He used to be atheist but then learned about what faith is through some life experience. His big thing was forgiveness and it was great to talk to him about that and about the role of the Atonement in it.

I love living the Gospel. I love serving the Lord. I love seeing the absolute joy that the gospel brings to people. I love you and pray that all continues going well.

Love,

Elder Hurst

My favorite scripture is 2 Nephi 31:20

Monday July 11, 2011

My 4th was great. We spent a good deal of it with some members in our ward. We played games and stuff and they BBQ-ed for us. I got the package. Those mint chocolate marshmallows were so good and I was just about to go by some sunglasses. Thank you, that was great.

Things went pretty good this week. We started teaching a new couple (Josh and Mandy) in the YSA ward. The just moved here. Mandy is less-active and Josh is going to do whatever it takes to make Mandy's mom happy (join the church) so that's good motivation. They are fully involved in church, FHE, and institute plus a lesson with us so its going great.

Mike, another investigator, came to an activity where we had a cook-off. We had to make something with pineapple. We made a huge fruit bowl that looked like flowers and then others made fruit pizza and cupcakes and other stuff. It was a lot of fun and he loved it so that is a huge plus.

Satan really puts anyone who tries to live the gospel more fully through the ringer. He will do what ever it takes to keep them from freedom. But CHRIST IS STRONGER. It is amazing to feel the freedom that the Atonement brings just after a struggle to change something in your life that was holding you back. And it is so amazing to see it in other people. I love living this gospel. I know that the Savior lives and loves each one of us.

I love you.

Love,

Elder Hurst

Monday July, 4 2011

We had a pretty good week. I met our new mission president. He is awesome. We will get to meet his whole family this week. I know that he is called of God to be here at this time. I miss President Pendleton but President Weston is really great.

Our week went pretty good as far as the work goes. We had a few investigators come to church. Church was awesome so they are prolly going to come next week too. Well, everything is going well. The Lord is taking care of us.

I love you.

Love,

Elder Hurst