The unexamined life is not worth living

HELLO! Surprise surprise I don't know what to say. Christmas was great! Skype! What a thing. Who'da thought missionaries would be able to do such a thing!

Well the storm finally hit Sunday afternoon and President Pehrson grounded our cars. So we were kinda stuck inside for a lot of the day. But we did some stuff, so it was alright. But I'd be lying if I said it wasn't nice to just relax for the day. Even if it was the day after Christmas. Read some stuff, write some stuff, nap a little, I wasn't complaining too much. Anyway, I'm in the office right now, but all the rest of the mission still can't drive unfortunately. I think we only got about 6 inches, but the wind was blowing a TON so its hard to say. Ha, the forecast was for 1-2 feet. Sound familiar?! Its sweet to finally have some SNOW though. I just love it!

Well I didn't say much about the week on Christmas, so I guess I could speak a bit about that. It was wonderful, the spirit of Christmas has been so fantastic this year. We went down into Hartford one afternoon/evening with almost the whole Hartford Zone and did some caroling and passed out a bunch of cards and DVDs. Fun stuff. It was pretty funny, there was like 15 of us walking down the street in a big pack, all in black/dark and big coats. The Mormons! Watch your back gangsta.

I went on an exchange with this new Elder, just came out a few weeks ago from Vegas. He knows Elder Pikyavit, my old companion. Anyway, count your blessings, this kid's got PKU, this disease where he can't eat any protein. Like, none. Pretty much just fruits and vegetables. He's got this nasty formula stuff that he can eat cereal with, but its gotta be the sugary cereal that has hardly any protein. He can have like 4 grams a day. Anyway, he's an awesome kid, he'll do great out here, but man, that is a pain in the butt for sure.

We had another appointment with that golden guy Rob, and he still is blowing my mind. Like, he's way way waaaay too perfect. Honestly, it makes me question if he is just messing with us for some reason. I don't know why he would, but this guy is nuts. His knowledge of gospel jargon and such seems too advanced for a guy who's spent most of his life on the wayside. It's weird. I feel bad questioning his sincerity, but its one of those things - if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Ya know? WHERE IS MY FAITH, RIGHT?!! Ha, anyway, hopefully he's just a golden investigator in the truest sense. However, we're probably going to have to turn him over to some other Elders in the next ward over because he lives out of our boundaries. Darn. But cool to have found a guy like this. We'll see what happens.

This couple we're kind of teaching took us out to dinner this week. They're "eternal investigators" (been meeting with Elders for ever and aren't progressing for whatever reason). The husband is kind of this spiritualist guy, and he gave us what is basically his philosophy on life. It was neat, but it was funny. Basically is a take on reincarnation. Its got some weird stuff to it though. I was kindly asking him some questions about it, looking for clarification, but he really didn't have any answers on most things. It was a matter of progressing toward something, there weren't too many "rules" to it, it just was a philosophy. A school of thought. He didn't have any answers. I understand where the guy is coming from, but the idea didn't really get anyone anywhere. But he's dead set on it. Its just an interesting thing to me. People are sometimes perfectly content with the unknown. At a certain point, we all run into the unknown, and that's where faith will come in, but with this fella...no answer as the purpose of life, no insight into "why", not really much of anything. Just something to make a person sleep at night. I didn't ask him, but its probably an "enlightenment of the individual" kinda thing. Its funny to me. Enlightenment to what end? For what purpose?? The guy is great, I really like him and have respect for him no doubt. I just thought his "plan of salvation" was EXTREMELY incomplete and open ended. I'm glad we have answers for many things, and insight into the rest, and faith in something greater than ourselves, who sheds forth His love for us, helping us to know that when we get to that point of unknown, that we can put our trust in Him, and that He's got it all figured out. Its the witness! The confirming power of the spirit. We don't just have to take these things on blind faith. Its very nice. Ask (with sincerity and intent) and it shall be given you.

Okay, so I'm cruising through the Book of Mormon, and it continues to amaze me. My gosh, every morning I read in personal study and then Elder Rogers and I talk in companion study and have these wonderful conversations of our insights and all the things that we learn from this book and all the things inside it and everything that went into its coming forth and how the story all fits together and HOW INSANE IT WOULD BE FOR SOMEONE TO WRITE THIS! Mormon was an amazing man just to compile it all. Like, incredible! Truly working by the power of God.

The Book of Mormon teaches us all about the first three lessons we teach - the Restoration, the Plan of Salvation, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. All we need to know is the Plan of Salvation and the Gospel. That's what God calls prophets to teach us. But the Restoration is how and why we have a prophet today to do that, and the Book of Mormon clearly and very well establishes and shows that pattern of God working with prophets and calling them in a particular manner to teach the children of men. Its all in this book so perfectly and beautifully. Its amazing to me, its not just a book. There is so much packed into that thing. It shows the pattern that legitimizes the doctrine the Restoration, which event provides us an insane amount of truth about this life and the things we need to do to achieve our eternal goals. Gosh its amazing. I need to read it a hundred times! And thank the Lord for all those footnotes. What a blessing.

Alright so that's my spiel about the Book of Mormon, and here is my testimony that it is a true book - the Book of Mormon is a true book. Read it and tell me its not. I dare you! People just don't read it. Too bad for them.

Anyway, love to you all, you really are all wonderful and I appreciate you so much. Life is good, but sometimes its really hard! I read this old old article about the law of the harvest yesterday in some old old church mag I found from 1967. It was good. No shortcuts for important things. We have to work for what we want. The law of the harvest. You can't "cram" the Fall season in. So sometimes its just hard. Don't know why I said all that.

TALK to you again soon, believe it or not! Elder Rogers goes home in 2 weeks! Crazy. Totally crazy. LOVE!

Elder Kunz