Week 71 "A week to remember"

It was a great week with many miracles! These people have become family to me, Armenian and Persian. I feel so encompassed about in their love and the love of the Lord. We were blessed with baptisms and with quite a few to come this Saturday and more coming down the shoot. It has been neat to see as soon as we put a concentrated effort on referrals, and other items in missionary work, The Lord pours out his blessings.

We went on a few member splits this week and many of the members are excited about missionary work. I was happy to give a talk about spreading the love of God in sacrament meeting. The blessings are flowing in every single way as we continually improve in every aspect. Many seeds are being planted and many children of God are experiencing the blessings of the restored gospel. We are preparing for mission leadership council this Friday as well as helping the Georgian Zone Leaders this Thursday on our exchanges. So much to do all the time and it's great! 

Many investigators have quit smoking or overcome difficult obstacles for baptisms and we will be happy to see them baptized Saturday. It is so neat to see the joy,happiness and change this gospel brings to all people. There is no greater work! It is a privilege to be able to spread this perfect message daily. We were blessed with so much work this week and many new investigators. It was a week to remember and the success is made evident from the Lord.

Our companionship is doing great we continue to push each other all the time out of love and respect. We see the good in each other and notice how this companionship will prepare us for the future especially for marriage. Elder Jowers is a great man and I love and respect him. We learn more and more from each other each day.

I am doing great just enjoying the blessings that come from this service and I try to make every day last. The days seem to blend together and fly by. I love the simplicity of the service and how we get to serve everyday with no other worries or cares. I took a minute the other day to ponder and write down the changes of last transfer that we were able to help inspire and I was overcome with gratitude and love for this work and the missionaries we serve. I love you all and I love reading your emails. I pray for you all daily and I hope you notice the blessings and an increased portion of the spirit. Love you all and miss you!

Love Elder Lunt

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To the missionaries:

Dear Missionaries,

Welcome all new missionaries! What a great way to start of the first full week of the transfer. Every week we continue to see the innumerable blessings and opportunities that surround us. The Lord has a plan for each one of us in the specific areas and companionships in which we reside. It is our part to figure out why and let the service we render change us. 

2 Corinthians 8:10&12 And herein I give my advice: for this is expedient for you, who have begun before, not only to do, but also to be forward a year ago. For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.

With all the changes, young trainers, leadership, new areas or whatever the situation may be. You may feel that you are alone or that there is nothing special or superior about you and your ability. We must maintain recollection that The Lord can work miracles with anyone who is humble, diligent and has a willing heart and mind.

Mosiah 4:21&24 "O then, how ye ought to impart of the substance that ye have one to another. I would that ye say in your hearts that: I give not because I have not, but if I had I would give."

Elders and Sisters, we all "have". Let us remove the artificial barriers that we unconsciously create in our minds. We all have capacity, strength and faith enough because we all have the right to the grace and enabling power of Jesus Christ.  Let that propel you, mold and shape you. Take confidence in who we represent! Wear it! We all play a significant role in this mission. Recognize what you do have and magnify it by sharing it.  

Mark 12:44 For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.

Omni 1:26 Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved.

We love you all! 

Love Elder Lunt & Jowers

Week 70

Hello all!
Transfer week! As most of you already know I am staying with Elder Jowers for another 3 months, it will be a total of 6 months with him and 9 months as an Assistant. Elder Jowers and I are both ecstatic to serve together again as leaders and we have a great vision and many high goals of what we want to make happen this transfer. It will be a great transfer and we are happy to have the opportunity to serve and lead together again.

Transfers were exhausting but at the same time spiritually recharging. It was incredible to see how amazing all 12 of the new missionaries are as we did interviews with all of them. There was a power and light within each of them and we are excited to see the talents, attributes and gifts they are bringing to these people. As we did a finding activity with the new missionaries, half of them came with me and we went to work on the street for a few hours. After 10 min it was inspiring to see them all talking to people, spreading the gospel and the joy it was bringing to them as well as listener. I think many of them were surprised that the language they had been learning for the last few months is actually real and people speak it. They will all be a great asset to the team and each has much to offer.

I am doing great! In every aspect, physically, mentally, spiritually I started T-25 a few days ago and I am on a controlled diet, have to gain some weight before I make it home. I continue to learn so much everyday and I try to soak it all in. And spiritually I have never been on a higher plane. I continue to experience the profound joy that comes when you feel the Lord is using you to do so his work and recognizing the change in yourself by the service rendered. 

I love these people so much! So many Armenians and Iranians have become my family and I would do anything for them. It is so amazing to see the change in them that the gospel brings, that is my joy and happiness. I love this work! I love every second of it, the hard times, the good times and everything in between. We try to make the most of everyday and we see the blessings. Almost a dozen investigators came to church yesterday and many more will be baptized this transfer.

I can not believe all the change back home it is neat to see and I am happy for all you getting married and starting families and many other great things. It is so hard to believe how fast time is going by. I try to soak up the moment and enjoy every day.  It was another great week with many great changes that we were able to help inspire in missionaries, leaders and investigators. Love you all!

Love Elder Lunt

Week 69

(Didn't have much time)


TO THE MISSIONARIES:

Dear Missionaries,

At the conclusion of this transfer and the start of next just around the corner, many missionaries will be training. It is absolutely essential that we realize all that we have learned this transfer and show our gratitude by continuing to act and improve. This next group of missionaries will play a huge role in the future of Armenia and Georgia. Let us give them a fine reputation to live up to and show it by our example. 

Zone Training meetings....

37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

We have all come to a better understanding of what it means to love God with all our heart, soul and mind. This is the foundation of what we want to address today. It goes back to the doctrine of repentance and submitting our will to God's. Preach my Gospel describes this as "forming a fresh view of God, ourselves and the world". In order to understand the second great commandment the first must be understood to a degree that changes us.

What we want to emphasize is the hidden commandment in this passage of scripture that we often overlook. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. The prerequisite and commandment the Lord gives us, is this, we must love ourselves before we can love others. For how can someone that doesn't love them self have the capacity to love others? 

We must take the time and devote our attention to receiving acceptance and love from the Lord. (Moroni 7:45-48) We must feel his love daily. As we embody that love for the Lord, ourselves and our neighbor we will have a greater desire and joy to love and serve. That perfect love was the motivating essence for the Savior during his Atonement. Let us establish that pattern of love for God ourselves and others. Then act by giving all the opportunity to partake of the bread of eternal life. We love you all!

"When you are filled with charity, you obey God’s commandments and do all you can to serve others and help them receive the restored gospel."

-PMG

 Love Elder Lunt and Jowers

Week 68

Dear Everyone!!!

Every week so much good happens. There will always be highs and lows of missionary work but the joy and eternal purpose that we get to share with others everyday with out any other worries is something to be excited about. 

This last week Elder Jowers and prepared and conducted mission leadership council. It went very well and there have been some major changes because of those meetings with President and the leaders of the mission. The three main needs we addressed were studying; preparing to teach, helping missionaries understand their purpose and lastly the why of it all Matt. 22: 36-40. So many changes for the better, this mission is rising each week in all aspects. We are trying to close the gap of missionaries applying the things they already know, which comes from understanding true doctrine. 

"True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behavior. The study of the doctrines of the gospel will improve behavior quicker than a  study of behavior will improve behavior.”

-Thank you Body K. Packer We are trying to figure out transfers and what the Lord wants.  We just want it to be the Lord's will, we continue to ponder and pray and work on them. 

There has been an excitement about missionary work lately mainly because we fasted as a ward together yesterday for missionary work. It was the best Sacrament meeting I have ever been to. Mainly because of the preparation on my part for partaking the sacrament. Sacrament has become so much more to me in these last few months than it has ever been. It becomes something I look forward to for spiritual rejuvenation and strength at the end of each week. I feel the promise of L. Tom Perry is becoming more clear as I seek to be prepared for Sacrament and make the most of the Sabbath.

We have been blessed with quite a few new investigators and many of which are looking serious. We are excited to work with some youth we recently found, they are already talking about missions, but they need to come to church first. Ha they are good guys. We are excited for some baptisms coming up soon, many of the investigators are ready to be baptized just a few are having a hard time quitting smoking. 

One of our long time investigators beyond prepared for baptism still smokes a half a cigarette a day. Yesterday I gave him some gum from America I got in a package and told him that It is special gum from America and that he will be able to quit if he chews 3 pieces a day. It was a last resort but so far it is working...So we will see. Many great people that we get to teach and learn from everyday. 

Elder Jowers and I are doing great! He is incredible and I am going to tell him that more often all the good that he does. I thought about what was said in a meeting recently about involving the savior more in our companionship. My mind went straight to Luke9:24 "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall find it". There is always so much you can do for your companion and others and so I plan on serving him more frequently and letting him know the good he does.

I am doing great! I am just enjoying life as a missionary. There are things in life just as good, but nothing greater than preaching the gospel. I was thinking about all the people in the scriptures that gave up their kingdoms and judgement seats to preach the gospel. Truly there is nothing greater or a more noble calling in life. Over the course of my mission I have been able to better understand the why of it all being Mathew 22: 36-40. Everything hinges on those to commandments and the better I understand this passage of scripture the more it motivates and drives me to become better and help others do the same! I love this opportunity to serve these people and missionaries as an assistant the things I am learning are incredible and will extend far beyond my mission.

 Love you all!

Thank you, Elder Lunt