Called to serve: Week 12

Hey everyone! WOW! What a week! I learn more and more here with every coming day.I am doing great in Aliverdi! I learn so much every day and I love this area I am in. Its like the Cadillac of the mission here, because of how gorgeous it is here, and my companion and I are all alone here with lots of work to do, its great! I love the people. I am connecting with so many great people and love them so much. The work is hastening here. This area was and is definitely ready and prepared for the gospel again. Everyone here is so nice and loves having us in their town. I love these people and I am so grateful to be here and to serve the lord. It is the best decision I have ever made to serve a mission and I am growing more in so many ways I never thought possible. And more importantly, hopefully helping others to grow and come closer to their savior.I am truly learning how to love everyone. Even those that don't love us, (like getting spit on)..I am grateful for this opportunity and I am giving the lord my Heart, might, mind and strength everyday and together my companion and I are seeing the blessings and guidance being poured upon us and this area. We got our first investigator last Wednesday. I was attempting to cook, yes I am the cook in the companionship its absolutely awful. Anyways I was cooking something that didn't turn out and we got a knock on our door. This young guy in in mid 20's is chillin there and he asks if he could learn more of our "thing". So we said we would be over in 20 min and we went to his apartment (right next door). He was very interested in the book of Mormon and what we believe. We got through the lesson my companion does most of the talking for now but I was bearing testimony and Armen (investigator's name) saw that I wanted to express something I didn't know how to say. And at the end of my testimony he said you can speak English if you want, i know English. I was super happy. The ball is in my court now. I bore a great testimony in English and actually showed my personality it was nice. And now we have our first investigator and he is progressing and reading the book of Mormon. One of the many miracles that I am witnessing here, nobody here speaks English and nobody knocks on our door for the gospel my companion said haha. The people here are great. There are about 20 members and about 10 that are active and about 5 that came to church on sunday. We had church in a living room at a member's house. It was a very crazy sacrament meeting, but good. The spirit was there and the whole time I thought of the Armenian words for "they are trying". They are trying and God knows it. Their circumstances are awful and things are not easy here but they do their best and that's all that matters, in return the spirit is very strong in those meetings. The church is buying a building here soon so that it isn't at a members house. There are a lot of clicks among the members here in Aliverdi, (the women) that don't like so and so, the gossip is bad. So I have gotten pretty good at teaching the charity lesson. It is so pretty here and yes, it is in the mountains but its weird because its so low. the elevation is 2400 ft above sea level (thanks to dad's watch which i love by the way) so its the lowest place in Armenia and the most gorgeous too, but also very very humid, which is fun with a broken fan and A.C. doesn't exist here :)

Last week we went to the former branch presidents house (excommunicated) he is great though from what I have heard and he wants to be re baptized. We have not met him. He lives in Russia because work in Armenia is like work in Mexico. His family is awesome though and they are very nice. The mom's name is Anahet and she wasn't aware that we were actually living in the area currently, and that Aliverdi was now reopened for missionary work. She just thought we were coming up from Vanadzor (nearest city, about an hour away). She told us that she had a dream that the gospel would be in Aliverdi and that the missionaries would be there again. We were amazed and said well actually we are. We are here now, its our 5th day here and we need your help to get this area a branch again. She was shocked and so grateful. It was a cool experience. I only have time for one more story, don't worry everything is in a journal for later. When we were walking home from that same appointment we were confronted by some Russian guy yelling at us calling us Satan. Which is nothing out of the ordinary. Hes actually the first mean guy we met here in Aliverdi. So we just ignored him and then kept walking. Not any more than 2 min later up the street we were walking and a lady came up to us and asked are you people of god? She said I have seen you walking around and never paid much attention to you. She said but now I need your help. She started crying and said that her grandson is sick and is most likely going to die. She asked us to pray for her. So we said ok and we gave her our number and did what we could. Well its time to go. I wish I could share more. But no worries, its all in a journal. Its great here and I hope everyone is doing great and recognizing the blessings that I am praying for each on of you by name. Love you all and know that I love it here and that the language is coming little by little. If you remember one thing from this letter please know that I have never been this close to perfect (not saying I am) in my life therefore I have never been this happy in my life! Love you all!

Elder Brian Lunt

p.s. my email day is on Tuesdays around 3 PM (Armenian time; I believe around 6 AM MST) because of no internet in Aliverdi, so we have to wait until we go to the city of Vanadzor on Tuesdays for district meetings to email. Love you all #TheFieldIsWhite #Sicklin #Thrust #GettinThatWheat #DoinWork #ImLovingIt

View from the city above called Sarahart (most members live here) very very pretty. We live in the valley to the right.