Happy Halloween!

Thank you for the sweaters and the package.  The sweaters are so nice!!

This week was quite a long one.  For starters, we had 3 exchanges, first was with the ZLs then the next night was with the Spanish Elders in our district then tomorrow we have exchanges with the Spanish Elders again. The ZLs were great, I had an Elder from Taiwan his name is Elder Wang. He's a great person, he's been out for 19 months and already wishing to extend his mission here. Next was Elder Neddo. He's in the Spanish branch, he’s been out for 14 months and he too is wishing to extend. He’s from Dallas Texas. Then tomorrow I'm with Elder Reeve from the Spanish branch who is waiting for his Visa to be ready to go to Uruguay, but in the meantime he's in Pittsburgh until he gets his Visa. He arrived in Pittsburgh when I did.

We had a member feed us this week.  I was with Elder Wang. She is a widow, so she took us to a fast food restaurant. We had really good pizza that day. Very thoughtful.

Yes, the shooting was in my area but as you should be aware, I'm fine. It happened in Squirrel Hill which is in my area, so President Bednar called us and told us to stay out of Squirrel hill that day. That night after the shooting the people held a memorial for the people who were shot and their families, it was at the intersection of Forbes & Murray. So sad! There is a major Jewish population in Squirrel Hill, so we generally don't go tracting there.

The Spanish Elders found a new person they’re teaching. He only speaks French and enough English to survive.

I love our mission President, he's the best!!  He's the kind of person that is ok with anything we do as long as we always ask him first and can answer his question.  He asks us one thing, “Does it fulfill your missionary purpose?" If we can answer, “Yes,” then he’s ok with it, but if it doesn't, then no. He also loves asking every missionary, "What is your why?" Like why are you out here? Every missionary’s answer is different, but over time the missionaries’ testimonies becomes stronger.

Have a great Halloween!
Elder Hunt

Their district with President and Sister Bednar. Since Stuart is tall he's usually the selfie stick

The view from Duquesne Incline Park at night

The best view of downtown Pittsburgh

View from their apartment

Happy Halloween

The apartment

Sleeping quarters

I love this place

I'm doing just fine!! People here could care less about their Salvation.   We knock on doors and when they answer they’re nice, we tell them who we are and in a nice way they tell us, "Thanks but try the next house over."  Sometimes we will find a house that woke up on the wrong side of the bed and they tell us, "I'm not @%#&%$#! interested!” Most people here are Catholic, so they love Jesus but don’t want anything to do with our message of Jesus.😂

We found some new people to teach.  We don’t call them investigators anymore, we say people we’re teaching.  This one lady was a referral from a member.  She’s all up for a new change from being Catholic to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

It’s getting colder! The lake effect off Lake Erie isn’t helping.  It’s in the low 40s, but the lake makes it feel like 20°.  So, you could say, yes, absolutely, it’s getting cold here.

We were fed by 2 members this week and both were wonderful!!  I'm grateful for the great hospitality and the food was👌!!  We had spaghetti at one member’s house and we had stuffed squash at the other house and it was delicious.

My bike riding is going great.  I love my Diamondback with its shock absorbers and 2 inches thick seat cushion.  I'm loving bike riding.

Glad to hear that the cabin was fun.  I hope you all didn’t have too much fun without me... I'm kidding!  Did someone bring up an upgrade on the air-soft guns and turn them into semiautomatic paintball guns instead 😂?

I love this place I don't want to leave it!! I love these people they can be so funny at times.


Have a great week!
Elder Hunt

REFERRALS!!!

This last week was transfers.  When you’re being trained you stay with your trainer for 2 transfers, so transfers came and went and he became the district leader, so my trainer is now the district leader.  That's the only thing that changed.  

We got a bunch of referrals from members!!  I'm so glad for that because like I've been saying all the people we teach leave us after the first lesson, these people are great because they were taught what the church is about by their friends before we meet them.  This one referral we have is a family of 4 and they all can solve the Rubik’s Cube.  It's funny how it happened.  The kids were playing with my cube on the couch while Elder Atkinson and I were talking to the parents, when we were done the kids came up to us and handed me the cube and said, "Here can you solve it?" It was funny to see the expressions on their faces when I solved it faster than they had.   I gave it back to them and they just stared at the cube, then at me, then back at the cube again, then they said, "How did you do it that fast?" After a bit we had to go, as we’re leaving each kid gave me their cube and I gave it back to them in checkers and told them that's something to practice until I come back. Hopefully. So that's a fun story from this week.

In that journal that you made me mom, there’s a piece of advice in the advice pages that I didn't see before.  I don't know who wrote it but I'm glad that person did because I like it and it's so true.  It says, "Be fearless, why not, you have nothing to lose" It’s perfect and true, to the person who wrote it, I thank you for that.

Have a great week,

Elder Hunt

 Pittsburgh skyline

Parts of his inner city area

A member in the ward makes all the incoming Sisters and Elders a poster.

Another addition to his study of comical advertising

Conference!

Conference was great especially when you see it at the church in Pittsburgh.  When you see conference there the members bring pizza for the missionaries, so we have 2 boxes of pizza in the fridge. My favorite talk was Dallin H. Oaks, he has this gift to speak in detail and be bold at the same time.

My week has been a bit boring. My companion rolled his ankle 3 weeks ago and I finally made him call the mission nurse on Thursday. So, we’ve been on house arrest since Thursday with him elevating and icing his ankle except for conference.  A member offered us a ride to conference and I said yes! before my comp could say "No thanks we’re OK taking the bus."  Had we taken the bus, the bus would have dropped us off 2 miles from the church so that wouldn’t work with his ankle.

Elder Atkinson is a great guy, he’s training me well. I'm feeling great and I'm excited to get training all done.  I look forward to meeting new people and having new people to teach.  I can see how the gospel will bless people in their lives when I see and talk with them but unfortunately, they aren't interested in it.  That's fine, God gave us agency, so I can't complain . It's their choice

Love Elder Hunt

P.S.  The Elder Legos are the best, we make different positions with them depending on our moods!

P-day in the Pennsylvanian woods

Exchanges in the city, the package and investigators calling it quits

Hello!

I'm doing fine though I'm always tired, as a missionary you're always tired.  Those pictures of downtown and the Heinz Field, Steeler's stadium I took those during exchanges.   I also have exchanges this week with the District Leader he speaks Spanish and as you recall, last time I was with them I did not know anything they were saying so that should be exciting.

My teaching skills are definitely improving.  Every person once on their mission wishes they had prepared better.  Everybody out here wishes they prepared better before they came out to the MTC and the field, but just a word of advice, don't focus on what you didn't do, accept what you did do and go from there.  

Our investigators are not doing so good.  After the first lesson they call it quits and throw in the towel.  So, there’s not much I can say about them other than that.  We can barely get through the Restoration. so, there's that.

PACKAGE CAME!! Holy cow, I’m laughing so hard at the LEGOS!!! I have the best momma in the whole world!

There's no place I'd rather be than here, this is where I want to be and I'm glad that I'm here to give people happiness.

On to a new great week.

Elder Hunt

The package came!! Beef jerky is the best!!

"I'm laughing so hard" Thanks for the Legos mom!! Elder Atkinson assumed his position on his head

"Thanks for the package!"

Pittsburgh, "The City of Bridges" 

Without bridges, the Pittsburgh region would be a series of fragmented valleys, hillsides, river plains, and isolated communities. A study determined that Pittsburgh has 446 bridges, and with its proximity to three major rivers and countless hills and ravines, Pittsburgh is known as "The City of Bridges"

Pittsburgh skyline

Heinz Field - where the Pittsburgh Steelers play

I think I need to remind him what a healthy dinner consists of! 😂😂😂