Whitewashing Odessa!

Hello Everyone!

Lots of exciting things happened this week. 

Tuesday we had a specialized sister training for all the sisters in the mission. We read from the scriptures and had a Q&A session. Right after the training, my companion and I found out that we were being transferred! We went back to our apartment, cancelled our appointments, and deep cleaned the apartment. We moved to Odessa on Wednesday! Whitewashing (when 2 missionaries come into an area) is a blast. We have to start everything from the beginning, and we've been working to find people to teach. 

Yesterday evening, Elder Anderson and Elder Zwic came to give a fireside to the Tampa stake. The closing hymn for the fireside was "I Know that My Redeemer Lives." It was a powerful reminder that our Savior lives, and because He lives, He is always there for us. 

Have a great week!

Sister Brittany Hunt

Hello Everyone!

It's been a somewhat crazy week. We helped with transfers and prepared a nearby area to whitewash. We packed our car pretty tight to get everything out of the Clearwater apartment. At transfers, we helped the new missionaries for the area to get ready to whitewash. It was really great to have an opportunity to help in a way we don't get to help every day.

On Thursday, we had a tornado in the area! Luckily, it only got us up about 15 minutes earlier than usual. We just waited it out. I don't think it was a very big one, because I haven't seen or heard of any damage.

We had three people confirmed in church yesterday. It was such a special experience. It was amazing to feel the Spirit in the chapel. They were all glowing! That evening, a woman flagged us down to pray with us after declining a few minutes earlier. The best part of being a missionary is seeing people love God and accept Jesus Christ in their lives.

Have a great week!

Sister Brittany Hunt

It's been 2 months!!!

Hello everyone!

It's been a great week! One of the highlights was General Conference. I loved having the opportunity to hear advice and encouragement from leaders. I had a lot of questions answered! I hope you all did too. 

It is so special that we have a prophet on the Earth today. We tried to share that with as many people as possible this week! We brought some of the Relief Society sisters out with us that we don't usually have the opportunity to teach with.

It's been raining a little more. We've taken it as an opportunity to learn to talk more to people in stores. Still shaky, but we're getting there!

Transfers are this week. I'll know whether I'll be leaving or staying sometime this afternoon. We also gained another companion for the next couple days! 

Pictures: Gator #3 next to one of the bayous we taught at; Sister Minson likes taking large leaf pictures haha :)

Have a great week!

Sister Brittany Hunt

Happy Easter!

Hello everyone!

I hope you all had a great Easter! We had lunch with some members here who have a daughter in the MTC. They are so great. There are so many wonderful members here who take good care of the missionaries. Church was great. The choir sung some Easter hymns I hadn't heard before.

We had a lot of miracles this week. One thing that I am learning is that exact obedience brings miracles.

We met a woman and her daughter in the park on Tuesday. They weren't planning on being there, but they felt like they should go. We were able to teach them about the gospel and how it can bless their family. We hadn't planned on being in that park either, but both of us were led there because, she felt, they needed the message that we shared with them.

We've been seeing a little more wildlife with the advent of spring. Mostly mosquitos, but we did see a school (herd, group?) of dolphins at the Bayou! Lizards everywhere. It's been great.

Missionary challenge of the week: go find someone to serve! Service is a great way to learn to love others the way Christ loves us.

Have a wonderful week!

Love,

Sister Brittany Hunt

Happy Easter Week!

Hello everybody!

I went on an exchange to St. Pete on Wednesday and Thursday this week. It was really fun to get another perspective on some of the things we do daily as missionaries. We were walking around a pond showing the 2 minute #Hallelujah video to people. A couple different people told us they didn't have time to watch it because they were on their breaks. It's normal for people to say don't have time because they're working or on their way to work, so this was kind of a funny surprise! Gotta stick to that break schedule.

I saw two alligators this week! We saw the back of one last Monday night, and I saw the eyes and snout of another while I was on the exchange. Apparently there are more than I thought, they're just good at hiding.

Last night, we had a lesson with a family. The father was in a lot of pain because of some physical health challenges. I felt prompted to ask if he wanted to receive a priesthood blessing. He had chills when we explained it to him. We called over a priesthood holder, and he was given the blessing. The Spirit was so strong in their home.

I decided to read about Palm Sunday from Luke 19 yesterday. I read about Zaccaeus, who climbed up a tree to be able to see Jesus. When the Savior passed by, He looked up and called Zaccaeus by name. The Savior knows each of us by name and notices our efforts to come to Him. Go and read the chapter if you get a chance!

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter and remember the sacrifice and miracle for which we celebrate.

Love,

Sister Brittany Hunt

(Pictures: Book of Mormon class in St. Pete; Sisters Morgan, Hunt, Minson, and Judkins on "St. Pete"ric's Day)

One Month!

Hello everybody!

The question I have asked my trainer more than any other question is "is this how it usually is?" ...I'm starting to think that there is no such thing as an average day.

I hit my one month mark this week! We celebrated with ice cream (twice! we were off by a day the first time).

One fun thing that happened this week was when both my companion and I got to use the languages we studied in high school. We went to go contact someone, but a deaf man answered the door, so I was able to use ASL. A little later, Sister Minson got to speak Spanish with a woman we met street contacting.

The most rewarding part of missionary work is when those you teach start to understand for themselves. We were meeting with one of our investigators, and we could tell that her whole countenance had changed since the last time. It is so incredible to see how the Spirit teaches people. Even though she is no less busy, it is clear she has more peace in her life.

Good news! I got my iPad all set up, so I have pictures! Here's one of Sister Minson and I. 

Have a great week!

Sister Brittany Hunt

Bugs, Bugs, Bugs!

Hello all!

The weather's been nice, so the insects haven't crawled out yet. But there are Volkswagens everywhere. I think everyone in the Palm Harbor area drives a yellow bug. It's made the slug bug game pretty easy.

I'm in a regular companionship now. We moved one of my companions to another area just after I emailed last week. We went out tracting (knocking on doors) that evening, and there was this one lady who let us in and had us eat dinner with her and her boyfriend. They weren't interested in our message, but the ribs were good! We had a really awesome discussion with another lady that night who requested a Book of Mormon on mormon.org. She seems like she genuinely wants to learn more, so we're hoping that we can find times that will work with her schedule in the near future. 

District meeting was really helpful. We talked about how to make initial contact more effective so that people will know our message is important.

We've had some difficulty finding people to teach the last couple days. This morning, we read the account of Samuel the Lamanite. We are here for the one who is ready. We're excited to find them this week!

I gave a talk yesterday. It was about applying the Atonement in our lives, "drawing closer to the Savior." It has been amazing to see how new converts in the area have faced a lot of trials, but through the Atonement, they can have so much faith in the future. It is so inspiring. It reminds me of Paul, who turned his whole life around and had trials as one result of his change. But he moved forward with faith, saying "I can do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth me." True happiness isn't the lack of trials. It is the presence of the Savior in our lives.

Sorry for the lack of pictures again, I'll send some when my iPad gets set up.

Have a great week!

Sister Hunt