New Area

What a week! I don´t even know where to start. First of all I guess, my time in the office FLEW by, it was like a blink of an eye. It was also a blast. I had a lot of fun and made some really good friends there.

I am here in Crevillente. It is, well, interesting. Thankfully though, we are keeping busy so I don´t have too much time to think about only having 11 more weeks left in the mission (But who´s counting?! ;p ) haha

Well anyway, I had a long bus ride but it was good, I slept basically the whole time. That was nice, a good long uncomfortable nap.

The people in the surrounding areas of Crevillente say "Crevillente: Tierra Mala, Gente Peor" (Crevillente: Bad land, worse people) They are definitely interesting people here. The branch is really great and they are excited to have a new missionary. They, being a branch, are really mission minded and help out the missionaries a lot.

We are teaching a lady named Imna and she is actually getting baptized this saturday! woohoo! She got married last week (had to get married first, she was living with her "husband") and now she will get baptized. She has been what we would call a "dry member" but she is finally getting baptized and the whole branch is very excited.

An interesting experience happened this week, there is a member of the branch who is both deaf and mute and we visited him. My comp "speaks" spanish sign language so I just sat there and watched, The member had a sign language dictionary so I was skimming threw that trying to think of something to "say" to support the conversation. Nothing came to me. In the end, I just smiled and gave a thumbs up.

My comp is elder Aviles and he is a champ. He is still way young in the mission so he is still trying to figure some things out. He´s an interesting character. I am kinda bummed to be back to only speaking spanish. I love the spanish language, but nothing compares to english!

I am having a good time. I am happy and working hard. Sometimes I have to reminded myself to stop thinking too much, because after all, I do have 11 weeks left in the mission. ;p

Well family, I sent my address to my new apartment last week so I hope that if any one wants too, they can send me some holiday love! I love you all!

Os quiero,

Elder Hunt

NEW ADDRESS

(This has been his address for the last two weeks, so sorry I’m late…but even if you sent something to the Mission home, it will still get to him…it will just take a little longer…)

Wow what a week.

Elder Jason Hunt
Avda. Madrid Nº27B, 3ºA,
03330 Crevillente, (Alicante)
España

I am headed to Crevillente for the rest of my mission! woohoo! It is a tiny little spanish town and I think the 2nd smallest area in the mission. They have a little branch there. I am very excited to go. I'll only be there for 12 weeks though, boy does the time fly. I have loved my time in the office but I am ready to get out and be a regular ol missionary. My comp there is from Ecuador, so I'll get to go back to 100% Spanish all the time right before I come home! I am sending a link from google maps so you can see the travel I will do this week
https://maps.google.es/maps?q=crevillente&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&ie=UTF-8&ei=NISeULvQCZDEswafyIDYBw&ved=0CAsQ_AUoAg

It is all on bus.

My address is above so whoever wants to send some holiday love, feel free! =] I could go for some "Land O Lakes" Hot Chocolate if anyone was wondering.

The week was really busy, we found a man from Norway that was baptised 20 years ago and he let us start teaching him again. We will see what happens.

Oh man. What a week, I love my mission so much. I am sorry I am not more detailed, but the lord has blessed me so much. I have seen his hand in my mission and I have seen him bless me and the lives of so many others. I love the lord and I love his gospel.

Talk to you all next week!

OH YEA! IMPORTANT! MY PDAY WILL BE BACK TO MONDAY. So next monday I´ll write you!
Oh yea, went to an Ecudorian family´s house for dinner this week and they gave us all a whole fried fish. It wasn´t bad, I actually really liked it, but those Ecuadorians eat the wierdest stuff. I´m not sure how I feel about an Ecuadorian comp. I´ll have to American-ize him.

We played Mini Golf for Pday today, it was a blast, I ended up getting forth out of 5th place, but me 3rd and 2nd place were all within one point difference. So I kept up.

“No” in over 3 languages!

My week went really fast.

Every week seems to go by really fast.

I love my mission. It´s the best.

We talked to a Jewish man this past week and he actually lived in the US for a long time and spoke pretty good English. We asked his name and he said David. I thought to myself, "well that´s appropriate."

Get it?

Anyway, We have had a lot more time in our area this transfer so it has been nice to go out and not have to worry about going back into the office for most of this transfer. We had some quality searching time this week. We knocked on lots of doors and talked to lots of people in the street. I love knocking doors. I know a lot of people criticize it as being the least effective way of finding people to teach, but that is where you meet the really interesting people. In one building alone we met a chileno, a russian, a fin(someone from Finland?) 2 brits and a Spaniard. We heard "no" in over 3 languages! hah.

Anyways, I am doing well. I am happy and I love serving the Lord. I can´t believe that we are in the last week of this transfer and then my last 2 start. I just can´t seem to come into grasps with it. it is so weird. I don´t know if you have realized it yet, but I am under 100 days until I get home, I think it is 95 or 96. I can´t remember.

For Pday, we went on this incredible hike with the Deeres (Mission president´s family) Actually, we only went with the kids because President and Hermana Deere had to go to Madrid for a conference. I am working on sending pictures. It was a pretty intense hike, but it was way fun! I´ll send pics soon.

I love you all so much. Thank you for you prayers and support!

Os Quiero,
Elder Hunt

These are pictures from the big hike we went on
They are going to be really small, sorry about that.

Short Story and Birthday Thank You’s!

This week was pretty quick,

short story, Honestly this is the only thing that sticks out from the week.
we were out knocking on doors and we came across a really grumpy old Spanish man. He told us that he was a true Christian and that weren´t because we worshiped Joseph Smith and believed in the book of mormon which talks about nothing but Joseph Smith and he continued telling us lots and lots of rude things. It got to the point where we were talking and he was yelling. I spoke over him and said "HEY (in English, then in Spanish I said,) We came here from a far away country trying to share a message from God to a fellow Christian, if you don´t want it, fine, we´ll leave". Then I proceeded to testify about Christ and that the Book of Mormon is a testament of Him. He didnt have much to say after that so he closed his door and we moved on to the next. 

But, that is the Spanish for ya.

The Mission is great. I wouldn´t trade it for anything in the world.
It is official, I am out of the office on November 14, but I still don´t know where I am headed. I will keep you updated

I love you all and thanks for the birthday love!

As far as the birthday shoutouts, I made a little list, but I forgot it at home...so....I will do my best to write it for memory.
You all (mom, dad, cameron, Jennifer, Ashley, John)
Skankeys
Grandma Jensen
Grandma Hunt (with a package a candy! =] )
The Moffats
Brownings
Chris Loomis,
Blakes,
Shirleys
I feel like there are a few more...I will have to look at my list and let you know next week...my bad. But thank you EVERYONE who sent me some birthday love! I LOVED getting the birthday cards!

Os Quiero
Elder Hunt

3 Golden Questions...and a Strange Analogy

Again, another fast week.
Where are the days going!?!

I look back and think, wait, what did I even do this week?!

In the mission we have been focusing a lot on "el rescate" The rescue, as phrased by President Monson, by working with less actives to re activate them and then find new investigators through them. President Deere, awhile ago, gave us three questions that we have come to call "President Deere´s 3 Golden Questions" and we have been working with the members active and less active using these questions. As we visit members we share something nice, or ask them to share their conversion story (we are still in the first generation of members in Spain, everyone that is a member is a convert from missionary efforts) just something to bring in the Spirit. Then we ask them 1) Who do they know that is less active, by this point, we have been talking sharing and they are a bit more open, (we did this last week and the member gave us about 30 names!) 2) who do you know that is a part member family? and then 3) who do you know that has listened to the missionaries in the past or has been to church before. This last question is supposed to be where to be where the gold is at. The Area Presidency said last year that Spanish are like the froth of beer (why they used beer as the example I don´t know). If you want to reach the heart of a Spaniard, it takes them 7 contacts with the gospel. If you have a glass of we´ll say root beer and you want a drop of water to get inside to the liquid, it would take 7 drops from a water dropper to penetrate the froth and make its way into the beverage. (that was their example) So as we ask people "who has heard the missionaries before?" we are looking for the people who have already had a few "droplets" into their "froth".

We have been using these questions in a lot of our lessons and we are finding quite a bit of success.
This is such an inspired work.
I love it.

Oh! One quick miracle story.
My companion and I were walking to a lesson in the town Mijas Pueblo in a part of the town that we had never been to before, we roughly knew where the family lived, but we took one left turn too early and starting walking down the street that was parallel to the street we wanted. As we walked, a little confused, because none of the numbers were matching up on the buildings, we hear a yell "Elders!" and we turn around and see a man waving to us. We walk over and start talking to him. His name was Edwardo and he told us that he hadn´t seen missionaries around there for 3 or so years. He was a baptized in his country (Ecuador) but hadn´t been to church in years. He gave us his phone number and address and told us to stop by sometime this upcoming week. It was incredible. I feel that I don´t even need to elaborate, but, everything is in the hands of the Lord. It wasn´t coincidence at all that Edwardo saw us when we took a wrong turn. Stuff like that doesn´t happen. It is all designed by the Master. Again, I love it. I am so grateful to be a missionary serving and looking after the Lord´s sheep. I love the Lord, I love his Gospel.

This week was good and I look forward to another one!
Os quiero,
Jason

The picture is...well... we had some spare time in the office one day. Those are all 4 of the office elders´ faces. Elder Hall actually just went home 2 weeks ago, so we got a new one now, his name is Elder Peterson.

Big News in the Family!

Hi Everyone,

This is Ashley, Elder Hunt’s older sister – the one who has been posting his letters ;) Anyway, we had some big news in our family this past week when I announced that my husband and I are expecting! Because of this announcement, Elder Hunt didn’t really write anything regarding his week last week, but we wanted to post his reaction to the news here :)

I wrote him separately (from the rest of the family) to tell him and here is what he wrote back to me:
¡ENHORABUENA!
(CONGRATULATIONS)

Oh man...
I think I said "oh my gosh" or "oh man" about 50 times before it finally sunk in about what you were saying.
oh man. I can´t even believe it! I don´t know what to say, but I do have a big smile on my face!

Wow. What an exciting announcement! I am so happy for you!

This is so exciting!

I think Mom is going off into Grandma mode or something because she told me she thinks I´ll get married before next summer (2014) comes. I don´t see that happening. The mission has helped, but I don´t think I´m nearly mature enough! haha.

Well Ashley and John, I wish you health and happiness in these next couple of months. Oh my gosh, the first time I see you after I get home that thing will have probably grown a ton. oh jeeze.

Anyways, I feel I am just rambling, but congratulations, I am so happy for you!
Love you,
Jason
PS: Yes, you may name your creation after me. ;p

(To the rest of the Family)
AHHHHHHHHHH! ASHLEY IS EMBERAZADA! AHHHH!

Oh man.
Wow.

I don´t even know what to say!
I sent Ashley my reaction so i guess you can just talk to her about it.

Does todo el mundo know about this already? or is it kind of a secret still? Or am I the last to know? anyways, I am so happy for them and that is so exciting!

oh man, mom and dad will be grandma and grandpa! AHHH!
What crazy news!

Honestly I don´t have anything to say that could possibly compare to such incredible and exciting news. So I guess I´ll just talk to you next week!

You can see our announcement (should you be interested :) HERE

Madre Mía!

This week FLEW by!

MONDAY-Sick in Bed, tried to go out in the afternoon and work, bad idea.
TUESDAY-Sick in the morning, then went and worked the afternoon
WEDNESDAY- Regular work day
THURSDAY- left for San Fernando to do a split with missionaries
FRIDAY- Snacks for the road (5€), getting our car towed (100€), going on splits and just being a missionary (Priceless)
SATURDAY- We have cleaned so far and we are emailing right now.

Wow, what a quick week!

I have been so tired lately, just beat, we have been moving non-stop but in these moments of exhaustion  I think of the words of Elder Holland when he said, in a moment of exhaustion "I will do this every single day until I take my last breath!" I am no Elder Holland, but those are some words that hit me hard and I strive to live by.

Os quiero mucho sabe!?
Elder Hunt