Letter received June 19, 2014

Dearest Family,
What a wonderful and crazy week it has been.  I don't even know where to start.  It has been hot lately.  Sticky summer here we come :)  The crops are finally starting to come in so literally everything is green now.  We've been driving around quite a bit in the past week with the service we did and the different meetings we have.  This last preparation day was awesome because it was the Muncie North Zone (Lamanites) vs the Muncie South Zone (us the Nephites) in a huge Nerf war!  So much fun!  Just being around all the other missionaries made it a great time :)  I loved this months Ensign!  It has some great articles in it talking about the Priesthood and recognizing revelation.  I like the attached quotes from this years Teachings of the Presidents.  Well we will be doing a lot of teaching this week including preparation for the baptism of 2 granddaughters of a member!  Exciting stuff!  I love you!  More next time.
Much love and appreciation,
Elder Gunnoe

Teachings of Presidents of the Church - Joseph Fielding Smith:

"We are spirit children of our Eternal Father, who ordained a plan of salvation whereby we might come to earth and progress and advance and become like Him; that is, He provided a gospel plan which would enable us to have eternal family units of our own and to enjoy eternal life."

"We are ambassadors of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Our commission is to represent Him.  We are directed to preach His gospel, to perform the ordinances of salvation, to bless mankind, to heal the sick and perhaps perform miracles, to do what He would do if He were personally present - and all this because we hold the Holy Priesthood.  As the Lord's agents we are bound by His law to do what He wants us to do regardless of personal feelings or worldly enticements.  Of ourselves we have no message of salvation, no doctrine that must be accepted, no power to baptize or ordain or marry for eternity.  All these things come from the Lord, and anything we do with reference to them is the result of delegated authority."

Elder Gunnoe and Elder Grubbe helping tear down a barn

Elder Gunnoe and Elder Grubbe were able to help with this event - must have been fun!!

Nerf war (Nephites vs Lamanites) - quite the contraption

Elder Gunnoe and Elder Grubbe out working hard :)

Letter received June 9, 2014

Familia!
What up?!  It has been a crazy couple of weeks with Memorial Day and Zone Conference and just life.  Memorial Day was great.  We spent it at Bishop's house with all of the Maddox family and all of the Jordan family.  So much fun with great food, some football and some intense games of Corn Hole (bean bag toss).  Then after that we went to Sister Anders house for another cookout with the Tuma's.  Nerf/water war was interesting...Then that evening we went and saw one of our investigators.  We were supposed to have a ride home from his house but for some odd reason the member wasn't answering their phone.  So we decided to just start walking even though it was about 9.  As we got closer to one of the main roads I saw 3 people, 2 with strollers, walking perpendicular to us and felt prompted to talk to them.  So we turned to walk toward them and said the usual "hey how you doing" and started to walk past them but couldn't ignore it so I turned around and struck up a conversation with them.  Turns out they wouldn't mind meeting with us.  So we found 3 new investigators!  Then and only then did our member call us to give us a ride :)  Had to do what the Lord wanted first!  Then Saturday we taught the Book of Mormon lesson to the parents of the family that we're teaching.  By Sunday night the mom was on 1 Nephi 7 then Monday the whole family was reading and all the kids wanted their own copies of the Book of Mormon.  Now they're on 1 Nephi 11.  Their 8 year old is such a great reader it's amazing.  Apparently today is supposed to be quite the severe weather.  I'm sitting here listening to the rain and intense lightening and thunder.  Could be a crazy day.  I can't believe Elder Gunnoe is going to Brazil.  That's crazy!  He'll do great :)  Well, I better get this in the mail.  I love you so much!!
Much love,
Elder G

Letter received May 23, 2014

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

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!!

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

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

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