God loves you! Yay!

Aahh yes, hello everybody. How are your lives? Everyone must be on the brink of change as Michael and Laura near the end of their vacations and Mom and Dad prepare to have people at home again. I'm sure its been FAST for you all in hindsight. Well, I still got 10 months, so ya pretty much gotta start over like when the other two kids left, endure it again, and THEN we'll all be together again.

Let me start by talking about spring. Its lightly raining today. Running this morning I felt like I was in Seattle. The thing I love most about rain is how it makes everything you see more vivid in color. One of my other favorite things in general is to see great color in nature. So today as we drove to the library I was impressed with the beauty of the earth, as things have become green once again in Connecticut, and the rain only accentuates the greenery. Green green green! I love it. I was thinking about how rain does that with the color. Water in general. There's totally a gospel analogy in that, but I won't get all into it; suffice it to say that God gives us many reminders of his plan, the gospel, and our covenants (WATER) in His many creations that are all around us. We just gotta think a little bit. Yes!

So today I am feeling very well. Perhaps you have gathered. For several reasons. One - transfers. Elder Mansfield is leaving! Wow! Its totally bittersweet, I can't believe it. I was pretty sure he would. He needed to for his own benefit and growth. We were too comfortable with each other for him to grow much more with me, I think. Though I told him had we stayed another transfer together I would have pushed him hard. Anyway, that means I'm getting a new companion. His name is Elder Reynolds, and if that sounds familiar to anyone, thats because he was my MTC COMPANION! For two of the weeks. This kid is great and I can't even believe how blessed I feel to have a companion like I'm pretty sure he will be. He's been out as long as I have, so he's experienced. He trained a new kid 2 transfers ago, and has been District leader this past transfer, so he knows what he's doing ya know. I am stoked. I am so happy that I will have someone with me who I know will be actively involved in teaching people and all other aspects of the work. Its going to be soo refreshing. I'm a little nervous how it will be because for the last 6 months, and especially the last 3months, I've been in charge. I make the plans, I do most of the hard stuff, and I'm pretty much used to doing things my way and how I think they should be done. So now I'll have to make sure I'm not too overbearing and I'll have to learn to compromise a little more perhaps. But I know this kids gonna be great and have some great ideas and really help the work here. Again - stoked. Ha I don't use that word much anymore.

So all this is pretty exciting. I am very thankful for it all. Thankful for the past two transfers with quirky Elder Mansfield, with whom I have learned and grown in ways I wouldn't with anyone else. I was thinking how amazing it is that a person (me) can grow to love a person with whom they basically have nearly nothing on common with. Many of whose character traits and interests very much bother me! But because of the gospel, we can enjoy one another, get along, and appreciate one another. It makes me hate how much I used to, and still do a lot, judge people off of first glance, or generally very little information. Its sad. I want to try and think of everyone I meet when I come home as my companion. Something like that.

Anyway, apart from all that, this week has been absolutely incredible. Not because of the work one bit. The work is pretty regular. Same old stuff. But this week, I was happy. Prior to this week, I did not enjoy missionary work (that was for the preceding 1 1/2 - 2 weeks). For one reason or another I was having SUCH a hard time finding joy in the things we would do. I looked forward to almost nothing. It was awful and I felt awful. I don't know exactly why I felt this way. I didn't really like anything we would do, but we would still do it. I didn't get lazy or anything, I just didn't want to do what we were doing. Pretty much ever! Crazy huh! There were certainly times of deliverance in a good lesson, or a nice letter, or a good conversation, but they all seemed fleeting. Again, I don't know exactly why, and I knew I just needed to change my attitude. I would pray morn and evening, please help me to be happy again!

So this went on for a time until this past Tuesday. There's this great talk my buddy Chris had me read before I came out. Great great talk I read several times, but somehow forgot to print out and bring with me! I was referencing something I remembered about it to a missonary I was on exchanges with last week. He said Oh! My buddy just sent me that talk! So I got a copy of it from him. Its called "The Challenging and Testifying Missionary." I don't know exactly what it is about this talk, but I read it Tuesday morning during my studies. Ever since that hour, I have been happy. I have enjoyed every phase and aspect of missionary work. I have loved my companion. I love our investigators. I look forward to visiting people, tracting, planning, teaching, everything. I won't get into all the specifics of the talk itself. Basically it completely delivered my from the gall of bitterness and from misery and endless woe. Well, I wasn't quite in that state. But I was delivered. Redeemed. And again, I can't pinpoint exactly why or what it was that changed everything for me, but change it did. Amazing. It was and is such a blessing. I can't say that enough. My prayers were answered. Its been a week now and I still have the fire. I love it! Its crazy how in 20 minutes my whole outlook on life and what I was doing did a complete 180.

I hate that I had become so disillusioned and bitter. It bothers me that I would be like that is a missionary, but I was. But now I'm not, so thank the good Lord!

Elder Mansfield gave me a great compliment the other day. A really great one that made me feel real real good. Ha, a while back he said something I liked too. He said he has no idea how to describe me. I liked that and I took it as a compliment. I think I like being described as not knowing how to be described. I'm just Elder Kunz! Anyway, the thing he said the other day was that he's pretty sure that I will be the best companion he has his whole mission. I was like, ah man you're only out 6 months! You'll have plenty of great comps! But he still said, no, I'm positive I won't have another as good as you. Melted my heart! What a nice guy. Elder Mansfield is one of a kind. Seriously. One of a kind. I'll miss him for sure.

Well, I think that's probably just about all. I feel like I'm missing something big, but I don't know. Most of our people are doing about the same. I'm continually amazed by people's inability to do what they say they will do. I hope I'm not like that! We've got some good things going here though, and I look forward to what is in store.

I love you all so much! I just love ya!! Golly I do miss you and can't wait to get to get to know Ralph and Laura again now that they are probably very different people than the siblings I left behind! Yet I'm sure at the same time they will still be exactly the same. My dear brother and sister.

Well, talk to you in a week!

David