JOY. December 22, 2014

I love people (like the man next to me laughing hysterically...). (: I love them so much!!  I feel it deepen and my heart has been so full lately! I just desire everyone to feel loved and happy-- The joy of the Gospel of Christ.
We have been having a lot of fun! Our area is tough right now because we work with mainly college students and they have all flown north for the winter...we have a few investigators still here, but most of them are off! We have been "blitzing" in other sister's areas (just finding with them in their areas), caroling/ handing out cards about 'He is the Gift,' and we even have been knocking (which is something that we are the first sisters to do in this area apparently haha).  And it is so joyful! Even though it is different than usual.  I have met a lot of people over the last couple days and I have been feeling so lead by the Spirit.  I am really striving to follow exactly and to seek out that Spirit and it has brought sheer joy to my heart.  I am in love! (: My motivation is increasing and so is my tiredness haha but we go on joyfully! (: And how perfect, because that is what this season is all about: joy!  I love meeting new people and hearing their different (and sometimes crazy) stories! I love listening to them and watching their face soften and their cynicism melt away as we come to really understand their place and view of God as our Heavenly Father and what they have gone through in their life that will lead them to eventually believe in our truthful message.  I know that what President Monson said in this last conference when talking about walking AS the Savior walked is true! "Nothing else, no other choice we make, can make of us what He can." Just give it up to Him! He knows best, after all.

Ohh my favorite friend (okay, I say that about them all...) But our friend from China, he is just teaching me so much!  The other day he closed our lesson with a prayer and he said something in his prayer which touched my heart so deeply.  He said, after talking about seeing some of our friends bear testimony and be brought to tears, "I've never seen people so touched by what they have that they are brought to tears.  Most people are brought to tears because of what they have lost."  I felt a sudden wave of gratitude for what I do have and a re-commitment to myself to greater appreciate the gospel blessing I today enjoy.  

It is very different to be here in the Summer heat of December!  They have this event called Winterhaven every winter and it is a block of houses that agrees when they buy a house there to put up lights every year so they can hold this event. People go all out (: It's super fun.  We got to go the other night and there was a house that had fake snow blowing in their yard.  It brought a smile to my face (: haha I kind of thought it was funny, but I guess I'm just used to real snow...Although I hear there isn't much this year? hmm. 

Well, one tender mercy we had this last week:  we were driving to visit a less active and we took a wrong turn somewhere...somehow! And we ended up driving like an hour through Saguaro national park hahaha! Ohhh but it was beautiful! The desert has its own beauty and a new place in my heart. 

Happy CHRISTmas! Love you (:

CHRISTmas is coming! December 16th, 2014

Whoa.  So the transfer is already over! What.  Mi compa ): she leaves
tomorrow and I had to say goodbye to my best friend! I even cried! haha I
wasn't planning on that! I only knew her for 5 weeks and I just love her so
much! We had SO much fun, the time just flew.  This next transfer will be 7
weeks because of the holidays...I am now a single sister training leader
haha well...of course I'm single (; ...but I no longer have an stl as a
comp! Just me over these sisters in the zone.  I'm not sure how that works
out! Sister Ah Sue and I gave our first training last week and that was
nerve wracking haha but I'm not sure if I'll have to do that alone now!
Hope not.  I don't know why...I normally don't get too nervous, but in
front of other missionaries and the President's wife, I just get so
nervous! ...anyways. My new compa is Sister Stewart.  At first, it was
going to be Hermana Lundquist and I was stoked! She and I were in the CCM
together! But last night they called and told me they need me to do
something else that will be better.  So I will be excited and this will be
so fun (: I love coming to love people...you always do when you put in the
effort! (: Can't wait.

Hmm. I got to go biking again last week.  All day this time! It was
wonderful! We talked to eeeevvveryone (per usual, but it's even better on a
bike!)  And we had so much success that day because of it.  I had never
been happier to leave an exchange.

Something that is beautiful is that our investigators have been better
about sharing the gospel lately than some of us! Our fun friend from China
brought a friend to the FHE activity and also a friend to church on Sunday!
He is the best! He wrote us a poem for Christmas because he knows how much
I love them and he likes to write them, too! I want to testify that the
spirit of Christ is real.  If someone who has never known Christ can come
to know Him so well, then anyone can. And this IS real. And this is true.
(:

Quick thought.  I saw an incredible sky the other day.  A rain storm was
just clearing and the brightest, setting sun shone through.  How
interesting, I thought, that the sun overpowered the entire sky, even
though more than half of it was gray.  It pierced through like a beacon in
the fog and I thought to myself, "no wonder the darkness cannot comprehend
the light."...you can't even look that amount of brightness in the
eyes...but you can face the darkness with confidence when you possess that
kind of light because it penetrates and brightens.
(sorry I always go off about light...but I love it!) Christ is the light of
the world and we are His vessels.  Let His light shine through you this
CHRISTmas.

Love.

Life on the UofA December 8th, 2014

I am loving the spirit of Christ that can be felt all around (: The Christmas Devotional last night was wonderful! I was filled with a new desire to be better, and you have to love moments like that.

I went to my first Mission Leader Council...we call it MLC.  I really enjoyed that! Being with all of the other missionary leaders that I have always looked up to...I felt really inadequate.  Surely I would not be grouped with all of those wonderful missionaries.  Yet somehow I found myself in that meeting ha. Hopefully I can live up to that example that these missionaries set for me.

The friends we're teaching are wonderful (:  We set a baptismal date with one of them and there are a few others praying about dates as well.  That is joy to me.  My favorite Chinese friend that we are teaching is just doing so well! He shares these "glad tidings" with his friends and family! He even made all of us missionaries in the ward (5) an authentic dinner the other day.  And we have another friend who is sharing the gospel with her friends, too!  People will ask her what ward she is in and when she tells them that she is not a member yet, they can't believe it!  (: Ohhh still softening the parents' hearts, but I know it won't be much longer now.  

The other day we were running the track at the nearby high school.  This morning was particularly dark and I felt like lead trying to run those laps...I just was not feeling it!  At first, I was fine and as time went on I just felt heavier and heavier.  Then, in my head, I said to myself, "What! You cannot stop here, you cannot slow down.  You're approaching the end of this race and, sure, you still have some time left.  But now is not the time to give in to exhaustion.  Now is the time to run!" And so I kept running.  And as I approached the end of my last lap, I ran faster, despite my tiring mind. As I crossed the finish line, I thought to myself, "See, you did it. And that's exactly what you'll keep doing throughout the rest of this mission experience." 

1 Corinthians 9:24 "Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize?  So run, the ye may obtain."  The only way you will ever win is by actually moving.  (:

We had a Spanish conference on Wednesday! That was awesome.  It was just the Spanish speaking missionaries gathered together to learn what we could do to improve ourselves as Spanish speakers in the states.  It was awesome!  (:  I love speaking in Spanish...since I am in an English area, I often pray to have experiences where I can used what I am learning.  

It's great! I love it!  

Well, I hope all is well...I hope the spirit of Christ is kicking in (:

Love.  Keep shining!

Too Much Fun! December 1st, 2014

I feel like last week was a month because of all of the things that
happened haha.
We went to another funeral...Sister Ah Sue and I have had quite these
couple weeks together! I don't know why these things have been happening so
often it seems.  It was very good, though.  I am learning the difference of
what it means to have an understanding and hope in the Plan of Salvation as
opposed to not having one at all.  What a sad thing to not have that
knowledge!

We had a good Thanksgiving.  It started out with a little turkey bowl
between the missionaries in our zone.  That was interesting...you know, I'm
not a very good catch (; We were able to go to a member of the bishopric's
home and have Thanksgiving dinner with them!  We also got to do some
service and some weekly planning haha so that was our day!  Not too bad,
not too bad.

We went to the zoo the other day to do some service! We swept and raked a
lot of like hay and dirt and stuff.  We moved things around and then we
mulched a pathway and I weeded for a couple hours.  It actually was very
satisfying to see how nice it all looked after (: Maybe working isn't so
bad after all, eh? ha and THEN we got to...pet a rhino!!! Yes, in real
life!  I was mostly terrified of it haha but it was cool!  We fed some
giraffes, too!  I left feeling kind of cool (:

Our friend from China is progressing well!  He is just way too cool!
Heavenly Father is so good to us to allow us to know him and to teach him.
We were talking about the Book of Mormon because he had some questions on
the things he's been reading and he said to us, "this all sounds so
familiar like perhaps I have heard it before."...ah! That was
incredible...If you ever want to hear someone talk with God...there is your
best opportunity.  This man just came to know of a loving Heavenly Father
and he speaks to Him in the most spirit-filled, faith-filled, loving way.
He always thanks Him for sending him, "my new friends Hurst and Ah Sue."
haha oh I love this work!
I love working on campus, too! Although that last game here the other day
sure had us running in circles trying to find alternative routes because
all of the streets were blocked off and crazy!

What a great place to be and what a great thing to be doing! (: I hope you
all continue to find the happiness of the Gospel of Christ.

Things are fun (:
Love!

Still Refining - November 24, 2014

I have been loving this experience so far on the U of A campus!  It has
been so much fun to talk to people of all sorts.  We met a guy from China.
He came with us to the institute right after meeting us and it happened to
be FHE night.  He was able to meet a lot of people and we had a lesson.  We
have met with him 2 times since then and he has come to quite a few
activities and firesides that we have had since this last week.  Oh my
goodness it is the greatest experience with him!  He comes from his
communist background and we have been teaching him about the light of the
Gospel of Jesus Christ.  He always says things like, "I will bring these
glad tidings to my friends and family when I return home."  And after the
FHE night, when we met with him the following morning, he told us, "I
called my family last night and I told them not to worry about me because I
have found a family here." Ah! Almost every time we meet with him he has me
in tears.  He tells us about all of the sad things that happen in his home
town.  My heart breaks and I just want to cry out to them all and tell them
that they are SO loved and watched over.  I wish I could just pick them up
and carry them to safely into the arms of the Gospel and the security of
our Savior.  We actually meet quite a few Chinese people here...I have a
feeling that this spreading the good word to them here may ignite the
starting of spreading the Gospel there where it has not yet been.  The only
sad thing about that is that these people are too scared to get baptized
here because of what will happen there...We will continue to follow the
Spirit and invite them to act and to join (:

I have just been seeing miracle after miracle.  If you aren't sure that God
hears you, well...He does! Even the simplest pleadings of our hearts.  I
have been focusing on praying specifically and have been answered in that
same specific manner.  And these are the littlest things, too! Not even
giant wishes...just small requests.  For example, when we met that guy on
Monday, we wanted to give him a folleto about the Restoration...we went to
get one from our car and I wasn't seeing any!  So I just said in my heart,
"well, I'm just going to stick my hand in this box and grab one.  Let it be
the Restoration." And it was.

Oh!! I rode a bike for the first time in this mission experience!  Since I
am an STL and we have to go on exchanges every week, I get to experience
every facet of this great work! I loved riding a bike!! I was just smiling
from ear to ear and waving hello to every single person I saw. I was going
as fast as I could because I was just having so much fun! haha (and being
safe, of course) (:  They probably thought I was crazy! Some happy girl in
a skirt on a bike in the middle of Tucson traffic.  haha oh the joys! (:

As for the rest of the week...I got permission to go down to Nogales and
attend the funeral of my dear friend.  When I got there they told me they
knew I would come and so they had me lead the music and participate in 2
musical numbers haha.  I didn't even cry that much! That was a miracle.
We have been having more interesting times with some of the sisters in our
zone and so I got to be on a split or exchange with a different sisters hmm
like 4 times this last week? haha and last night Sister Ah Sue and I slept
on the floor of a sisters' apartment because...well we just needed to be
there! In Sister Passey's words: welcome to leadership, Hermana Hurst.
jajaja

I just want to end by saying that I am loving the process of continuing my
personal refining.
I looked up the word 'refine' and found it to mean: To free from impurities
or waste matter; to improve, perfect; to free or become free of what is
coarse or uncouth...
How appropriate to strive to refine oneself and to become free of the
worldly impurities that pollute our daily lives.  A refinery, I also found,
is a building and equipment for refining...
Thus our refinery, or the building or equipment used to refine us, is those
well-known answers of church, scriptures, temples, and prayer...as we
strive to keep the commandments and have that abiding trust in our Lord and
Savior, or in other words, hope, we will become free from the worldly
impurities that often dim our light and weaken our faith.
Always know that we can change.
"Repentance is a divine gift, and there should be a smile on our faces when
we speak of it.  It points us to freedom, confidence, and peace.  Rather
than interrupting the celebration, the gift of repentance is the cause for
true celebration." (Elder D. Todd Christofferson)

Shine on. (:
Love.

It's getting colder here....call me an Arizonan. November 17th, 2014

If I wasn't at the institute so much and I didn't have this uniform or
nametag, I would feel like a student in this area!  We are on campus
everyday and have to drive through the little college town todos los dias!
I feel like I'm somewhere in between Provo and Logan...But I am loving it
(:
This is only the 2nd time I've had to move areas since I've been in the
mission...it's a huuuuge adjustment! But I feel soo good about being here
and know I have a purpose being here.  My companion is incredible! I learn
so much from her daily.  Of course, to continue in my pattern, I am sending
her off to her home in Hawaii.  She has about 4 weeks left at this point
because this transfer is one week shorter due to the holidays.  We laugh
all day long and she tells me about her Hawaiian culture and teaches me
some words in Hawaiian! I love it!  I teach her some Spanish sometimes,
too.  Her name is Sister Ah Sue.
SO one of the coolest experiences I've had here so far hahaha we were
contacting on campus (my now favorite thing to do!) and we met these 2
people.  First they asked us if we wanted to join  their club haha it is
like dancing...but not...so there was a girl and she was doing something
she called "hooping" which is dancing with a hoola hoop. And this guy and
he was dancing with these lights on a string.  It looked a lot like poi
dancing and so my companion asked him if she could show him some techniques
that they use in poi dancing (she worked at the Polynesian Cultural Center
as a dancer back home).  So anyways! I'm just sitting here talking to this
"hooper" about the institute and the gospel and my companion is teaching
this guy how to poi! It was so fun! (: I love campus contacting! haha
always soo interesting.
We have been so tired lately because just day one and I learn what it
really means to be a sister training leader...working things out amongst
the sisters.  We have spent a good amount of time with a set of sisters
daily, since I've gotten into this area, trying to help them figure some
things out.  It has been a little crazy, but I absolutely love the
opportunity I have been given to truly learn what it means to selflessly
serve.  I always hear people talking about turning outward and thinking of
others first and I do try to do that! I do...but I feel like I really have
such an opportunity to really learn what it means to do that and to just
serve with love.  It's incredible because as we've spent this time with
them this last week, I really do feel an outpouring of love for these
sisters whom I am just now getting to know.
We got to go to the Temple dedication for the Phoenix temple ayer! That was
neat (: Also, yesterday I learned that my sweet friend, Hermanita Nobel,
passed away.  That was really hard for me to hear.  I left her exactly a
week ago, the last time I spoke to her.  We cried together as we said our
goodbyes and she told me that soon she would be watching over me...I didn't
realize that it would be a week to the day she said those words to me.  But
I'm feeling a lot happier now because she is much happier, too (:
Other than that....we met with an investigator who told us that her culture
believes they turn into saguaros when they die.  We told her about God's
plan for us and asked her how she felt and then she told us..."well, I was
actually looking forward to becoming a saguaro."
...Despite what you may think, God's plan is truly for all of us! (: And it
is that brightness of hope the Savior provides that will allow us to endure
this journey here in life.
Keep shining (: the sun can only warm you so much this time of year (;

Changes! November 11, 2014

Well let's see...what has happened in the last 2 weeks...

So Here's a good list:

-my companion dyed my hair orange and I looked like a tiger! (yes, it is normal now)

-We had a regional Arizona conference that was incredible!!

-I had the opportunity to do a musical number with an elder in my district 3 different times.

-We moved another family out (I am so prepared for later days haha)

-I said goodbye to my best friends...

-I cried....and cried again.........

And now I am sitting in the institute!  Hello, YSA 3rd ward....yep. I live on campus.  

This is quite the change for me, really! I just spent 7 1/2 months speaking Spanish on the border of Mexico and President has just sent me to an English area to work with all of the people my age...hahaha I don't even know how to talk to people my age anymore! This should be interesting.  I am also what they call a "Sister training leader" now...This just means that I get to go on exchanges with all of the sisters in our zone, probably once a week.  I also will have to give trainings at zone meetings...and so this is just a whole new world for me!  I can honestly say that I am sooo nervous and very excited at the same time.  Also, my heart is broken...and I am so sad to have left my home of 5 transfers...but I know that God knows what I need better than I do.  And I know that He leads us in the right direction.  And I would just like to end by saying--trust God.  Let Him direct your paths! He knows you better than you ever could and when you follow Him and choose the right, you will always have the things that you need (: 

Keep shining! Love.