Parentals!
Well here we go with transfer #8! My new companion is the awesome Elder Grubbe (pronounced Grub). He's from the Portland area of the great state of Oregon. He's been out for a year and a half and is a great missionary! Going to be an awesome transfer! Life has been good here in C-Ville. Lots of crazy thunderstorms lately. Lots of rain and wind. We had a tree blow over at the church. Luckily not on the church. We've been running around seeing a lot of the members getting Elder Grubbe introduced. Also, I started reading through the Book of Mormon for this transfer. It'll be great! It was a great first week. Lots of running around as I said before and with our investigators it paid off because we had 5 investigators at church. So awesome! Hopefully more next week :) Elder Grubbe is a great guy. We're working really well together which is good. Oh ya, forgot to mention we pitched the old 2010 Corolla that was 10,000 miles overdue for being sold and got a sweet 2014 Chevy Cruse. Great car. Nice and clean. Drives well :) So one thing I wanted to mention since I'm starting the Book of Mormon is how we should approach reading the word of God. We can't just read it and we can't just study it. Reading is just going through the text. Studying is reading with a question in mind. What we should really be doing is having what is called a revelatory experience. A revelatory experience is having a two way communication with God as we read so that we can better understand what He wants us to get out of reading. There are 2 questions we should ask after each page read in the Book of Mormon. Does this bring me closer to God and could any man alone have written this book without divine help? When we come to know that the Book of Mormon is true and that it is the word of God it does three things. The Book of Mormon confirms to us that Jesus is the Christ, that the Bible is the word of God, and that Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God. It's wonderful! There is a great passage that can help with this in Alma 32:26-33 which says - "26: Now, as I said concerning faith - that is was not a perfect knowledge - even so it is with my words. Ye cannot know of their surety at first, unto perfection, any more than faith is a perfect knowledge. 27: But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words. 28: Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves - It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me. 29: Now behold, would not this increase your faith? I say unto you, Yea; nevertheless it hath not grown up to a perfect knowledge. 30: But behold, as the seed swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, then you must needs say that the seed is good; for behold it swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow. And now, behold, will not this strengthen your faith? Yea, it will strengthen your faith: for ye will say I know that this is a good seed; for behold it sprouteth and beginneth to grow. 31: And now, behold, are ye sure that this is a good seed? I say unto you, Yea; for every seed bringeth forth unto its own likeness. 32: Therefore, if a seed groweth it is good, but if it groweth not, behold it is not good, therefore it is cast away. 33: And now, behold, because ye have tried the experiment, and planted the seed, and it swelleth and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, ye must needs know that the seed is good." This is all we do as missionaries. We invite people to experiment with what we teach and share with them. Anyone who reads this should do the same. In order to receive an answer though we need to be willing to act on it and allow that tree to grow and be willing to make whatever changes are necessary to apply this to our lives. Well I'm going to get this in the mail. If anyone has any questions or would like to chat - email me at conner.gunnoe@myldsmail.net. I love you! Happy Bird Day mom!
Mucho Love,
Elder Gunnoe
Friday, May 23, 2014
Monday, May 5, 2014
From our email today - May 5, 2014
So we were out working yesterday, workin on hitting our 20 lessons, and we were deciding what potentials to go see since we had about an hour and a half left in the day so we decided what order we would go in and we chose a particular family first. So we went to their house and talked with the wife on the porch and set an appointment for Wednesday but her husband came and saw us and said let em in! So we went in and talked with them and they said they had talked with missionaries about 3 years ago and were close to getting baptized but the missionaries got transferred and the new ones didn't go back so they didn't get baptized obviously...so now we're going to teach their whole family and all 6 of them are baptism eligible!! :) so wonderful!!
Friday, April 25, 2014
Letter received April 25, 2014
Familia!
Ahhh! We had 2 baptisms! Sooo exciting and wonderful! My first two too. It was a crazy week leading up to the baptism but everything worked out. Then on Sunday in Sacrament I was able to sing my testimony - "I Know That My Redeemer Lives" as a solo. Went well according to everyone else. :) Ya Easter Sunday was just a great day. Sister Knotts fed us yummy ham and bread and salad and green beans and pie...then a little while later Sister Grujoski fed us some Korean style beef over rice which was awesome. Then...more pie :) Gotta love it. Then we went and saw the Harshes who are a super awesome family. Love em to death. The weather has been much nicer lately...70's during the day and 40's - 50's at night which is perfect. Now we're a bit overcast with some on and off rain which is nice but it's humid again. But still warm so that's good. We have interviews this week which I'm looking forward to. Other than that not much else going on. Sounds like you had a good trip up north. It's always wonderful going to the Hanson's! I love their house up there. Well I hope y'all have a wonderful week. I love you so much!
Much love,
Elder G
Ahhh! We had 2 baptisms! Sooo exciting and wonderful! My first two too. It was a crazy week leading up to the baptism but everything worked out. Then on Sunday in Sacrament I was able to sing my testimony - "I Know That My Redeemer Lives" as a solo. Went well according to everyone else. :) Ya Easter Sunday was just a great day. Sister Knotts fed us yummy ham and bread and salad and green beans and pie...then a little while later Sister Grujoski fed us some Korean style beef over rice which was awesome. Then...more pie :) Gotta love it. Then we went and saw the Harshes who are a super awesome family. Love em to death. The weather has been much nicer lately...70's during the day and 40's - 50's at night which is perfect. Now we're a bit overcast with some on and off rain which is nice but it's humid again. But still warm so that's good. We have interviews this week which I'm looking forward to. Other than that not much else going on. Sounds like you had a good trip up north. It's always wonderful going to the Hanson's! I love their house up there. Well I hope y'all have a wonderful week. I love you so much!
Much love,
Elder G
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Letter received April 19, 2014
Dearest Family,
Oh my goodness, what an amazing day! We had 5 member presents! Super fun day. It was a very spiritual lesson teaching Regina and Wakita for me. They are getting baptized on April 19th and they came to us this evening having doubts. Not bad doubts, just usual doubts when one is taking a big step. As the opening prayer was being said the thought came to mind to, in a way, praise or thank them for having doubts. I shared with them Joseph Smith's experience right before he had the first vision and that when we are close to having a spiritual experience that Satan is going to do everything he can to doubt or change our minds. It was amazing to see the doubt and fear basically melt away from Regina as we shared these things. She said she felt at peace. It was amazing! There will always be opposition when we start to choose the right. Well it was an awesome week altogether! We taught 11 member present lessons with 6 in a members home which is awesome. It's been so warm lately it's helped a lot. And it's raining today of course. Fun stuff. I'm looking forward to Easter weekend with the baptism and the celebration of Christ's eternally important resurrection! How are things back home? All the roads repaired yet? Got my tires pumped up on my bike getting ready to break them out. I enjoy walking more but if we have long distances we'll go with bikes. Gonna have to start carrying water or Gatorade as the heat settles in. Gotta stay hydrated. Still sitting around 150 lbs...which is nice. Sorry about being late with last weeks letter...meetings happened and time flew by. Hope you have a great week. Love you!
Much love,
Elder G
Oh my goodness, what an amazing day! We had 5 member presents! Super fun day. It was a very spiritual lesson teaching Regina and Wakita for me. They are getting baptized on April 19th and they came to us this evening having doubts. Not bad doubts, just usual doubts when one is taking a big step. As the opening prayer was being said the thought came to mind to, in a way, praise or thank them for having doubts. I shared with them Joseph Smith's experience right before he had the first vision and that when we are close to having a spiritual experience that Satan is going to do everything he can to doubt or change our minds. It was amazing to see the doubt and fear basically melt away from Regina as we shared these things. She said she felt at peace. It was amazing! There will always be opposition when we start to choose the right. Well it was an awesome week altogether! We taught 11 member present lessons with 6 in a members home which is awesome. It's been so warm lately it's helped a lot. And it's raining today of course. Fun stuff. I'm looking forward to Easter weekend with the baptism and the celebration of Christ's eternally important resurrection! How are things back home? All the roads repaired yet? Got my tires pumped up on my bike getting ready to break them out. I enjoy walking more but if we have long distances we'll go with bikes. Gonna have to start carrying water or Gatorade as the heat settles in. Gotta stay hydrated. Still sitting around 150 lbs...which is nice. Sorry about being late with last weeks letter...meetings happened and time flew by. Hope you have a great week. Love you!
Much love,
Elder G
Letter received April 15, 2014
Padres!
Wassup! So it's raining ...a lot...but it's warm so that's ok. Been a good week! Had awesome steaks at the wonderful Wright's house :) Love em! Other than that not too much crazy been goin on. Been a fairly normal week. I'm definitely looking forward to conference! We're having an ice cream social before the Priesthood session so that'll be awesome. A lot of the sisters in the ward make pies for it. The other day Sister Grujoski had a Marie Calendar's Razzleberry pie for dessert at her house...SOO GOOD! Yum :) Finally stopped raining. To it'll be good weather for conference. Man the Saturday sessions were AWESOME! I love conference. Didn't get to see Cole :( There's been a lot of awesome talks so far and I'm sure Sunday's will be amazing as well. I can't wait to go see it live again. I want to sing in it too. The baptism is this Saturday. We're so excited!! It's going to be so great. How are things back in the 909? Anything exciting going on in the branch? Well conference was amazing. The Spirit was so strong throughout the whole thing. Having an overall attitude of gratitude is something I've really tried to develop while I've been out. It helps a ton. I loved Brother Ridd's talk in the Priesthood session. He did very well. Nana sent me a Walmart card which got conference snacks. Nutter Butters, Fig Newtons, Sour Gummie Worms and just for my daddy I got some Swedish Fish. :) Gotta love it. Well I hope you enjoyed conference as much as I did. I love you and hope you have a great week.
Love,
Elder G
Wassup! So it's raining ...a lot...but it's warm so that's ok. Been a good week! Had awesome steaks at the wonderful Wright's house :) Love em! Other than that not too much crazy been goin on. Been a fairly normal week. I'm definitely looking forward to conference! We're having an ice cream social before the Priesthood session so that'll be awesome. A lot of the sisters in the ward make pies for it. The other day Sister Grujoski had a Marie Calendar's Razzleberry pie for dessert at her house...SOO GOOD! Yum :) Finally stopped raining. To it'll be good weather for conference. Man the Saturday sessions were AWESOME! I love conference. Didn't get to see Cole :( There's been a lot of awesome talks so far and I'm sure Sunday's will be amazing as well. I can't wait to go see it live again. I want to sing in it too. The baptism is this Saturday. We're so excited!! It's going to be so great. How are things back in the 909? Anything exciting going on in the branch? Well conference was amazing. The Spirit was so strong throughout the whole thing. Having an overall attitude of gratitude is something I've really tried to develop while I've been out. It helps a ton. I loved Brother Ridd's talk in the Priesthood session. He did very well. Nana sent me a Walmart card which got conference snacks. Nutter Butters, Fig Newtons, Sour Gummie Worms and just for my daddy I got some Swedish Fish. :) Gotta love it. Well I hope you enjoyed conference as much as I did. I love you and hope you have a great week.
Love,
Elder G
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Letter received April 4, 2014
Parents!
What a week it has been. P-day was fun. Tuesday we taught 5 lessons. Thursday we taught 5 lessons. We now have 2 people on date for the 12th. I only ended up having 2 cavities. Brother Knotts took us out to this amazing restaurant called No. 9 Grill ... sooo good! Spicy BBQ boneless wings were so good. I love Brother Knotts! :) It's raining a lot today. It's been a weathery week. Supposed to be really warm tomorrow. Transfers are Tuesday so we'll see what happens Monday when we get the call. I don't feel like packing so I think I'll just stick around here. What a transfer it has been. We greatly improved from last transfer. We were finally able to hit 20 lessons this week which was awesome. I love this place so much! So many wonderful people :) We'll see what transfer calls bring ... Well I'm staying in C-Ville for another 6 weeks. I'm so excited! I look forward to continuing the Lord's work in this wonderful area! Gotta get this letter out. I love y'all and hope you're doing well!
Mucho love,
Elder Gunnoe
What a week it has been. P-day was fun. Tuesday we taught 5 lessons. Thursday we taught 5 lessons. We now have 2 people on date for the 12th. I only ended up having 2 cavities. Brother Knotts took us out to this amazing restaurant called No. 9 Grill ... sooo good! Spicy BBQ boneless wings were so good. I love Brother Knotts! :) It's raining a lot today. It's been a weathery week. Supposed to be really warm tomorrow. Transfers are Tuesday so we'll see what happens Monday when we get the call. I don't feel like packing so I think I'll just stick around here. What a transfer it has been. We greatly improved from last transfer. We were finally able to hit 20 lessons this week which was awesome. I love this place so much! So many wonderful people :) We'll see what transfer calls bring ... Well I'm staying in C-Ville for another 6 weeks. I'm so excited! I look forward to continuing the Lord's work in this wonderful area! Gotta get this letter out. I love y'all and hope you're doing well!
Mucho love,
Elder Gunnoe
Monday, March 31, 2014
The following is from an email Elder Gunnoe sent to his mission president. The mission is gathering information from the missionaries for a book they are putting together. So proud of him ...
Questions of the Soul Answers:
#1 What does Jesus Christ expect of me?
In 2 Nephi chapter 31 we find Nephi teaching the Doctrine of Christ. He talks about how Christ was baptized to fulfill all righteousness and that He set an example for us. But being baptized isn't all we need to do. Nephi goes on to talk about enduring to the end which includes having a steadfastness in Christ and a perfect brightness of hope with a love of God and of ALL men. We also need to feast upon the words of Christ or the scriptures because they are given to us for our benefit and will help us to stay on that straight and narrow path. In Mosiah chapter 4 we learn from King Benjamin that believing in God and having faith in Him and His Son is what helps us to retain a remission of our sins. He also talks about needing to serve our fellow man, to provide for the poor and needy and to remember the God who has blessed us so much.
#2 Why does God allow evil and suffering to occur?
In Alma chapter 60 verse 13 we learn that God allows the righteous to be slain so that justice may be brought upon the wicked. The righteous are blessed when persecuted by the wicked when they endure it well with faith. In Alma chapter 12 verses 31-32 we find that everyone receives the God given right to freedom of choice or agency. Through that agency we have the ability to choose good or evil. Those choices that we make, whether they be good or bad, bring consequences and sometimes we have to suffer from the negative consequences of other people's actions. This is what allows the plan of redemption to be available and to work. In Helaman chapter 14 verse 30 we are able to reaffirm the fact that we each have the ability to choose and that we alone must in the end suffer the consequences of those actions. It is a God given right that cannot be taken away.
#3 How can I avoid sin?
In Moroni chapter 7 verses 11-19 an example is given that helps us to see how we can know good from evil. It says that a bitter fountain cannot bring forth good water and a good fountain cannot bring forth bitter water. This means that we know of a surety whether or not what we're doing or seeing or hearing is of the devil or of God. All good things come from God and all bad things come from the devil. If something doesn't bring us closer to God or doesn't fulfill His purposes then it is of the devil. later on in these verses we find that in coming to this earth we receive the Spirit of Christ which helps us to know good from evil which brings us to a perfect knowledge whether something is of God or the devil. In Helaman 5:12 it says that if we build our foundation upon the rock of our Redeemer that when the devil tries to tempt us and lead us astray that he will have no power over us whatsoever. 2 Nephi 32:9 talks about praying unto the Father in the name of Christ dedicating whatever we are doing unto Him so that He will consecrate our performance that it can be for the welfare of our souls.
#1 What does Jesus Christ expect of me?
In 2 Nephi chapter 31 we find Nephi teaching the Doctrine of Christ. He talks about how Christ was baptized to fulfill all righteousness and that He set an example for us. But being baptized isn't all we need to do. Nephi goes on to talk about enduring to the end which includes having a steadfastness in Christ and a perfect brightness of hope with a love of God and of ALL men. We also need to feast upon the words of Christ or the scriptures because they are given to us for our benefit and will help us to stay on that straight and narrow path. In Mosiah chapter 4 we learn from King Benjamin that believing in God and having faith in Him and His Son is what helps us to retain a remission of our sins. He also talks about needing to serve our fellow man, to provide for the poor and needy and to remember the God who has blessed us so much.
#2 Why does God allow evil and suffering to occur?
In Alma chapter 60 verse 13 we learn that God allows the righteous to be slain so that justice may be brought upon the wicked. The righteous are blessed when persecuted by the wicked when they endure it well with faith. In Alma chapter 12 verses 31-32 we find that everyone receives the God given right to freedom of choice or agency. Through that agency we have the ability to choose good or evil. Those choices that we make, whether they be good or bad, bring consequences and sometimes we have to suffer from the negative consequences of other people's actions. This is what allows the plan of redemption to be available and to work. In Helaman chapter 14 verse 30 we are able to reaffirm the fact that we each have the ability to choose and that we alone must in the end suffer the consequences of those actions. It is a God given right that cannot be taken away.
#3 How can I avoid sin?
In Moroni chapter 7 verses 11-19 an example is given that helps us to see how we can know good from evil. It says that a bitter fountain cannot bring forth good water and a good fountain cannot bring forth bitter water. This means that we know of a surety whether or not what we're doing or seeing or hearing is of the devil or of God. All good things come from God and all bad things come from the devil. If something doesn't bring us closer to God or doesn't fulfill His purposes then it is of the devil. later on in these verses we find that in coming to this earth we receive the Spirit of Christ which helps us to know good from evil which brings us to a perfect knowledge whether something is of God or the devil. In Helaman 5:12 it says that if we build our foundation upon the rock of our Redeemer that when the devil tries to tempt us and lead us astray that he will have no power over us whatsoever. 2 Nephi 32:9 talks about praying unto the Father in the name of Christ dedicating whatever we are doing unto Him so that He will consecrate our performance that it can be for the welfare of our souls.
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