Week 36 Out of time

Out of time this week....This is my email to the president, figured it would be better than nothing (we write him weekly)

Dear President,

I want to start off by saying that its been a good week. We have seen changes in the work with the members and changes in people that are progressing twoards baptism. I still feel like we are barely hitting the surface of our potential though. We are thinking what we can do differently to see different results. Not re-inventing the wheel but repairing it. The work is picking up a little bit more and we are reciveing a lot more help from the members. We feel relationships with them have already increased, and they know their purpose as members, as we try to get PMG's in every home and teach missionary work, and focus on the family. We have been blessed with investigators but I would say 2 are serious right now. There is a lot to do here and we are still in the "how" stages. I know that as we pray, fast and humble ourselves the Lord wont let us down.

Elder Kay is doing good and I am learning from him. I love him, and he really is just a good all around person. We are trying to work as hard and we have a lot of fun while doing it. We both have a lot to learn and we figure it out together. He is getting better with the language day by day and he has a firm testimony of the first and great commandment and many other gospel doctrines,that cant be shaken by others. Just like you said in a zone conference, I feel he, and my last companions E. Burt and Wood fall under the category of "one of those people who never needed the gospel to be a good person".

Like I said its been a good week, but its been tough as well. On a more personal note, I feel like I am not doing good enough, I dont know its a hard feeling to explain but Ive always tryed to seek the praise of the Lord rather than of man. But I feel like the Lord isnt really saying much to me these past few weeks. I feel like I dont get the peace and comfort , his acceptance and his guidance on what to do better like I have in the past. Its a sad,lonely feeling. I am fasting today and have been praying desperatly these past few weeks on what to do better or to change. I am trying to focus on the investigators, and members and the individual needs of the district, I feel that its hard to balance all that and my personal needs. Well thats enough about me. Thanks for all that you do President,I know that you love us and trust us. I know your busy but if you get a second please let me know what I can do better. Im asking not for me but for these great people so that I may serve them with all my heart, might mind and strength. Thankyou

Love Elder Lunt

Week 35

Dear family and friends, its been a week full of hard work. Proabably the hardest weeks Ive worked. We did whatever we could do for meetings including skipping meals and studies and staying out right til we are required to be back in. We were blessed with a lot of lessons, elder kay said it was more than they got in a month. Elder Kay is a great guy we get a long well. He keeps up with the pace and we are working hard. We also have a good time and lots of laughs together. Hes a great, funny guy I love it. I want to see him step up more in lessons and in being the senior in the area. He has a hard time with the language and I know it frustrates him, hes getting better I am doing all I can to help but it just comes down to how bad a person really wants it. How hard they are willing to work for it when most wouldn't. Hard work beats smarts in every scenario. I am not perfect at the language but I have been blessed with the gift of tongues through hard work, prayer, and fasting. How important it is to realize that we truly are nothing with out God. 

The area is doing great. There are some amazing people here that I am already close with. Unlike Alaverdi there are a lot of priesthood holders here and there is a super funny guy named armen that comes with us to lessons a lot hes awesome and has a huge heart, we are already brothers hes only 26 and we have a great time together. I am grateful for these pioneers and all they do to make the sacrafices they do to help build the kingdom in Hrazdan. We have a few serious investigators right now that are progressing at their own rate, some of them seem to be taking one step forward and two back. This area is great but it has its challenges just like every area. The work is a little slow right now. We are doing everything we can to get members with us at lessons. And trying to plan well every night. Its hard when we plan really well and the days keep falling through. Every single day this week almost everything fell through and its been a lot of on the go planning, but all we can do is account to the Lord to see what we need to do better. We are trying to branch out, as stake president directed us. We go to a town about 10 miles away every few days and talk to people on the streets for about an hour or so. Its called sakadzor and Its the park city of Armenia. I dont like going there, its too rich, worldy and distracting.We feel like this area has a lot of potential that may have not been reached. So we are putting our minds together and changing how we do things so we can change this area for the better.

I am doing well for the most part, some days are better than others but I am trying to always keep my head up. Just figuring out how to best manage my time so that I can focus on the district and the investigators. District meeting went well last week, according to everyone. Elder Kay was assigned the language subject and did great. As for the District meeting itself I just felt we needed to review and refocus on a few things given to us by a area seventy. I opened it up to the district for some of the subjects, the best way to learn is to be "enlightened together". It was good and everyone participated. I love these people its undescriable, they are my family, they are no different from you or I, and often times desire the exact same things. I wish you could meet them i really do. Iove you all and pray for you daily.

Love Elder Lunt

Week 34

Dear family and friends, 

It has been a good week. It was sad and hard to leave so many of those i loved last week. They said some very inspiring and touching things one of which was that they said they have never had a misionary like me who has taken such good care of them and helped the area so much. They wanted me to stay so bad, but it was time to go. They wrote me a nice letter all of them and bought me a way cool framed picture of the Christ. They made me promise to call when I got to my new area (havent yet :/ sooo busy) and to keep in touch. The Lord's converts that I had the privledge to teach and baptize were so sad and many cryed as welll as members and elder Burt hich made it even harder but was good and I felt that it was time.  

I have been transfered to an area called Hrazdan its known as the promise land of the mission but little does everyone know, Alaverdi is the best kept sercret in the mission, I will give it 6 months before its the talk of the mission. But Hrazdan is great. Its so so cold. Its easily flirting with 0 below every day. Its been a lot of just getting to know people first and develop realationships with them before I can really teach them to their needs and figuring out how bold I can be with who. These are some great people here, just like every area. The church is young here and Gago the branch president is already relying on us a lot for leading the new branch and teaching lessons. He said 10 min before sacarment hey your giving a talk i said ok what on, he said whatever you want man. Ha its great and during the preisthood meeting he sat down and after the prayer he said Elder Lunt turn to chapter one and teach...I said ok and taught, was winging it but nobody knew that, and the spirit backed me up. The missionaries here are so respected. There is something special here, I can already tell, but I dont know what it is, I feel something is waiting for me. Someone very special or something, I can feel it through the spirit each day. 

I am district Leader, and I dont like it. It takes the little time i use to have for studying or writing in my journal. I loved being group leader and serving the Armenians, serving missionaries is a lot different and not as enjoyable, the District leader is kinda of like the PVT of the military does the ground work and most busy work, i realy dont like it, but praying for a change of nature to like it. I am trying to get to know everyone in the district personally, their likes, interests, dislikes.  My Dad always said people dont care how much you know, until they know how much you care, so true. Elder Kay is my new companion he is a great guy, he has a fun personallity and right off the bat we clicked and got along, obviously we are still in the early honey moon stages of the companionship but I can already tell that hes a great missionary and that he has great motives and priorties. He struggles with the language (he is in his second transfer), one group below me but hes getting a lot better already as I try teach him what I know. I just trying to set a good example and help him out with planning and other things that make or break success in misisionary work. And am trying to learn from him as well.

We had some neat miracles this week and yesterday. I will share one of the following. Yesterday a contact called us and said we needed to meet and thats exactly what we did. He introduced us to two other ladies in some humble circumstances, and we taught the restoration and with some how to begin teaching tailored to thier needs, the spirit was very strong, strong enough to point out, I told them that this great feeling is the spirit and that if they read and pray about our message that they would feel this everyday. They felt it. One of the ladies was in tears with how "light, and peaceful" she felt. Those are always special lessons when the spirit comes that strong and its those lessons that make all the difficult times worth it. Thanks for all you do. 

I love you all, and wish you could be here, a day in the life of what I get to do everyday. If only people in this world knew what true happyness and joy was. Love you all and pray for my family here in Armenia everyday and in America. Be happy, smile,

Love Elder Lunt

Week 33

Wow I cant beleive the transfer is coming to and end,this Friday. I will find out if i stay or go within a few hours Elder Burt and I had a great talk and I learned that you come closer to people over time its something that can not be forced. The last email I was worried about him and the weight of group leader on him, that so often brought him to tears. But the communication was off that day. And we talked when we got home and had a great talk. He is a great guy I love him and have learned a lot from him. He has changed in the last few weeks and especially in the last 3 months, its cool to see and point out to him. He is getting better at talking to people and talking/ expressing his emotions rather than letting them build. He said he doesn't feel ready to train or be group leader but nobody does, and that's where the Lord comes in, we will see what happens tonight. I know he could do it and will do it if called upon. Its been a great transfer, one I will always remember.

We were blessed with a baptism today, one of the most elect I have ever seen. I want you to meet her some day. She was ready for baptism. She never missed a commitment and she is one of the most Christ like people I have ever met. She was found by contact on the street. Its a testimony to me how important it is to talk to as many as you can wherever you go. It was a great story that I will tell in person someday. I wanted Elder Burt to baptise her but its always their choice. Everything went well and it was a spiritual experience for her and us. So many neat experiences and miracles on the daily I wish I had time to tell you all of them. 

I look forward to the next transfer to see what it brings, it will be hard to leave so many of these people, who I feel so close to, and they said I better not go and that they will write the president if i go haha Armenian s, they are great. But whatever revelation Pres received for me I know its what the Lord wants and I will never complain or go with a bad attitude. This isn't my mission, none of it is about me and so wherever I go or stay and whoever with, is what the Lord wants and there is many lessons to be learned in every companionship and area. I continually pray that all the transfers will be decided by inspiration and revelation. Love you guys so much and will send some pics of last week's baptism and today's baptism. I have been so blessed to be able to serve here and come close to so many. Love all, sorry its a short one today, ofik (member) and lena (new convert) are waiting on us to finish email and baptism paperwork before we take them by taxi back to alaverdi. Love you guys so much and know we are very busy and I am exhausted every day and giving this all that I have got. Love you.

P.S. The Russian is coming along well, I had a short conversation in Russian with a taxi driver the other day, I learn just from talking to the people and asking questions its fun and a great tool for talking to people, they love answering questions. 

Love Elder Lunt