What is green? Plant a beautiful garden! And you planted the star fruit tree seed, right? I haven't read that talk, I'm reading in 1972 right now. But I like the thought! The ward I'm in right now is really struggling. It would be doing a lot better if many of the ward members would have stayed in the boat. There are about 60 active ward members. We had about 200 people at church this Sunday, so about 150 million of them were visitors. There are almost no active youth, so I will get the chance to pass, prepare, and bless the sacrament much more often. We ran out of water during it, and had to go fill up another tray and bless it again. It was really funny, but I didn't laugh. Promise. I laughed afterwards. (After church) When exactly are you going to be able to send the package out for the cop couple? Love youuuuu

Talmage, I'm glad you had a fun camping! Food always tastes good on campouts. 

Ammon, keep doing things with Michael, he's a cool kid. He'll be baptized in a few years. :)

Zenock that's so cool that you got to run the stations for your field day! That sounds like a lot of fun. That was always the funniest part of elementary school for me.

Kumen, that dog sounds amazing. There are few awesome dogs like that out here, but I cling to those that are awesome. I also like your choice of 'holy hedge' to convey surprise and shock.  

In other news, I got to meet and take a picture with the girl from meet the Mormons! The comedian one that interviews people. She is super cool. We had an investigator that came who is kinda crazy and as soon as the closing prayer was done he ran up to the pulpit to talk to her. He was halfway up when the benediction said 'amen.' That's my short story for this week! Don't have a lot of time today. Love you all!

Hunter

A letter from Hunter to the Seminary students:

Sister Hunter,

Thanks so much for all the letters from the class!  I’m happy to be adoptedJ!  And I absolutely loved the talk!  I love Elder McConkie!  It is impossible to listen to or read one of his talks and not feel the Spirit testify of what he says and that he was an Apostle of Jesus Christ.

I’ts good to hear that everything’s going well!  I loved reading everyone’s letters…so here’s a letter back for everyone!  And one that’s long overdue at that…

Hey everyone!  I loved getting your letters!  Keep going to Seminary (for those of you that come) and if others are not coming, get them to come!  So now for the good stuff…

Southern California has got to be in the top 10 hardest places in the world to serve.  There are 3 possibilities when you knock on a door.  They are:  A. Catholic, B. Not Interested or C. Not  Home.   Everyone finds time for everything BUT the Gospel of Jesus Christ which is why I keep on telling everyone to go to Seminary.

One of the things that make it way difficult to serve here is answer choice C.  The ward I’ve been serving in for the past 6 months is incredible.  There’s only one thing they could do better and now as a missionary I am sooooo sad and very disappointed with myself for not doing this before my mission.  That is aggressively doing missionary work.  I always carried a Book of Mormon around ready to share it and ready to answer any question thrown at me, but that’s not enough.  It’s not enough to tell the missionaries when they come by, “Oh, I’m working with people!  I invited them to the ward activity.”  Now don’t get me wrong, that is AWESOME!  But it needs to go further.  Here missionary work goes nowhere without members.  We need members to say “I shared a Book of Mormon with a friend and told them about how it’s proof of the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I asked when I could come by with some friends (missionaries) and tell them more about it, and they said Sunday Afternoon works.  Can you come?  So make a missionaries day and do that.  You guys are what will make the church grow.  We have to find and teach the needle in the haystack.  If members don’t help sift through the hay, the missionaries are left doing it all by themselves.  And I promise you that doesn’t work.

I know this church is the church of Jesus Christ, which is more than just a church.  It is the Kingdom of God on Earth.  It contains all the authority, power and truth necessary for conducting the work of salvation on Earth, I know the fullness of the Gospel has been restored.  I know we are all here at this specific time for a reason.  I know Jesus Christ is the Son of God.  He is our Elder Brother.  He was born, and He died, but that was not His beginning and End.  It was all part of the plan laid before the foundation of the world in order for us to obtain exaltation.  It is up to all of us to accept this gift or reject it.  I know the way to fully accept it is through the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I know Joseph Smith was the Prophet fore-ordained to usher in that gift and power of God.  I know these things not only because they make sense, but because God has revealed the truth of these things to me by the Power of the Holy Ghost.  I promise you all that “Dad” is watching out for us.  He is there for us, and we only have to turn to Him for help, and He will give it.  Although perhaps not in the way we want it.  I love you all and leave you with my testimony in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Elder Hunter Johnson

PS “Vision without effort is day dreaming, effort without vision is drudgery; but vision coupled with effort will obtain the prize.”  --Thomas S. Monson