Charlie Brown Christmas.

Gosh I feel like I can't remember anything from this week at this particular moment. It was an excellent week though. Last Saturday through Tuesday was a blur. It felt like one long day and then suddenly it was Wednesday and we were proselyting again. Transfers and everything that comes with it gets kinda hectic. And I even stayed in my area, with my companion. Anyway, we got 6 new missionaries and I got to spend some time with them when they came in, which was neat. It was extremely exciting to me for some reason. Just got me goin! Greenies! It excites me! Ha but at the same time I find myself thinking man, I sure am glad I'm not in your shoes! Ha, yea but either way, its a fun time seeing new things happen. Two missionaries got "doubled-in" to Hartford, both of them about 6 months out, and that is exactly what happened to me - doubled into Hartford at 6 months. Fun to remember.

I have been so extremely blessed during this past transfer, and will continue to be till the end of my mission. I don't know why, I feel like I'm getting all these handouts that I shouldn't be, but...lucky me I guess. Thank the man upstairs! I love the Man upstairs. My companion continues to be a fantastic missionary and friend, and I count my blessings to be with him. Lots of good conversation together.

So the mission is reading the Book of Mormon together. Kind of. We're all reading it, and highlighting whenever it mentions Christ's name (or Lord, Messiah, etc), whenever He speaks, His doctrine (faith, repent, etc), and His attributes (love, mercy, etc). All in a different color. We did this last year around this time. It was awesome last year and it is equally awesome now. I love it. Reading it at a different pace kind of opens your eyes to other things. For some reason I just constantly want to read the Book of Mormon. But of course I hardly have the time I wish I did. At any rate, its great. Elder Rogers has been really understanding the story line this go-around. He had a fantastic insight the other day that we've been talking about. Its about the other group of people that came to the "promise land" from Jerusalem, after Lehi and his family, after the city was destroyed. The people of Zarahemla. Ah man I wish I could explain this whole sequence of scriptures and discovery we had. It was so cool and it just blew my mind like, WOW! This book is crazy! It was like I stepped up to a new plateau of understanding. Not so much understanding, but realizing that the Book of Mormon is no joke. Like, its got some seriously serious stuff in it. And it makes me want to read it a hundred times. I've been learning all kinds of stuff in the past few months and I love it SO MUCH! The scriptures are incredible. I can hardly vocalize it. There is so much understanding to be found in there. So much to think and ponder on. So much revelation to be had. Gosh. God has got this all figured out, and we don't know hardly any of it, but he gives us enough. The rest takes some faith of course. I've found myself lately thinking MAN! I just want to die and move on and KNOW more of the plan of salvation. Of the Gospel. I was reflecting on how much I have learned as a missionary and how amazing it is. I suppose I've never studied anything as much and as frequently as I have the gospel for the past 2 years, so I don't know what I could learn about other things, but thinking back to taking mission prep and some of the things I was learning there and the whole time I was preparing for a mission, and thinking back now and saying wow, I was just figuring that out then. And I think of where I feel like I'm at now (not to say that I know a whole lot about anything, I just mean to say that in my own journey, I know a heck of a lot more than I did 2 years ago and I'm super grateful for that) and think wow, I've learned a lot. Sorry if that makes no sense. I'll stop. The Book of Mormon is true, it wasn't written by anyone in the 1800s, all you have to do to know that is read it (again), I really like it, and I've learned a lot lately. That's the summary. Fin.

So. I can't think of anything much more of great worth to expound to you all. My life is much of the same old thing, but to me its an excellent same old thing, but if I start explaining this lesson and that lesson and this person and that, I think it does start to sound redundant. Missionary work. Good experiences. What do you guys say? Do you get tired of reading "oh man we had this amazing lesson with Jerry Jefferson and the spirit was there and I hope he gets baptized and I love being on a mission and seeing people change and ladi dadi da!!" I'm starting to feel like thats what I write everyweek.

So suffice it to say that I continue to have really good experiences. Teaching people, finding people, everything. Its still really hard, but still really excellent, still a rollercoaster, still learning, still loving, still frustrated, still miss you, still want to stay, still want to go, still tired, still still still. I'm a missionary.

I like to sing hymns. Hymns are great. I was feeling really stupid the other morning so I started to sing hymns in my mind. After that and a shower, I felt 100 percent better. So get ready I'm gonna sing the songs of Zion when I come home and you are all going to love it. You are all going to love it.

Uuuumm...I love my job. The Church is crazy man. They have it all figured out. They'd be geniuses if they didn't have God on their side. I do not understand how people get so upset about the LDS faith. What do we do? What do we do?! If they only knew...blows my mind. Of course I'm going to say this, I know I know. But I love it. I have a perfect formula for peace and happiness. We do. Who has that?! People get so distracted in the world today and I can't really blame them, there's more distractions than I can keep track of. But I am oft surprised by what people don't think about. What people are willing to just brush aside and not care about. Too bad I guess.

Christmas Devotional was great last night. I loved that song What shall we give to the baby...I can't remember the exact name. Good tunes though. Pres Monson's message made me want to give all of you my LOVE LOVE LOVE!! In some more meaningful way than a typical gift. But I don't know exactly how. Maybe I'll think of something. It made me consider what a gift it is to love. I thought about several people I've met here as a missionary and I just felt so much LOVE in my heart for so many great people like all of you and for the gospel and all the rest. It feels so GOOD! Love. Life is so wonderful.

Okay I've got nothing left to say. I feel like I didn't say much of great worth today so sorry if you're bored. Life is really good right now, better than I would expect, so that's nice huh. I love you all, hope all is well. But wo be unto him that saith All is well in Zion! Ha, have a nice day.

David Austin Kunz