Letter home of September 10, 2012

Ok family! Elder Smith (his companion)..he is a great guy. When he gets excited his voice goes up about 5 octaves. So laughs are fun to listen to. He isn't scared to tell anyone about the church. There have been times when we have just started talking to people and he asks them real fast if we can say a prayer for them. They kinda say "whaaaa?" And then he just starts praying. Sometimes it even catches me off guard! In general is is...I don't know how to describe it. He paces when something is on his mind. He gets all flustered with himself all the time. Driving is scary with him. He's been here 6 weeks already, but it's almost like he has no sense of direction. Like I have to tell him to turn right instead of left at the same intersection next to our apartment or sometimes he'll get in the left turn lane and realize he needs to go right, and then we'll just turn right across 3 lanes. Skitzophrenic! I know that's not how you spell it, but I think that's how you would describe him. Great guy though! Loves to do most of the talking. So. Simi. Simi is pretty small; only like 100,000 people. some parts are filthy rich. Other parts are filthy poor. Millionares to people living on food stamps across the street. It's about 90 degrees in the afternoon and a little humid. So unfortunately it's kind of hot. Anyways, how are things in Tucson? Is the weather cooling off? With how much time I have to write and read emails on Monday, it would be nice if you could write me a letter earlier in the week I could read. Well, actually you decide what's best. An empty mailbox is sad though! :-( Love you guys!~ Elder Jared Huss (I'll try and email you guys pictures next week!)

Elder Huss's letter of August 28, 2012

Dear Home, ...I got a haircut today, and boy was it a haircut. The lady asked me how I wanted it cut, so I told her 3/4" length would be perfect. Well, I have 3/4" hair on the top of my head, but my sides are shaved down to practically nothing. I'll be glad when I start cutting my own hair (he took clippers so he could do his own hair and his companion's...!). I forgot to mention that everyone here is getting sick, and I got it pretty bad this past week. It finally got so bad that I had to see the doctor, and by 5:30 on Thursday I got so bad that I just basically had to go to bed and didn't get up until the next day. I'm doing better now though! Still a little sick, but hope I"ll be recovered by Monday. (He mentions forgetting to take some Sudafed and requests that I send him more Emergen-C as several guys have been taking it along with him...that's one of my "mommy" things, is encouraging my kids to load up on Emergen-C if they feel "sick" coming on...I can't quite get them to take ENOUGH! :-) ..Laundry here is a nightmare. That's where I am at right now. Is it still raining alot? Are the dogs and kitties doing ok? How is the greenhouse going? How's the ward? Do you guys have any plans for Phil's and Daddy's birthdays? Tell them I say Happy Birthday... Well, I'm gonna go now. Let me know what you would like to know about in future letters. ~Elder Huss P.S. - We just got back from the temple. It feels like I"m home when I'm there (I love that - there is no place on earth closer to home - our real home - than the temple! :-) and I'm going to miss not having a temple to go to for the next 2 years. ...Please tell Brother St. Laurent congratulations for me and that I SO wish I could be at his baptism - be there for me! (we were!)

Elder Huss is on his way to California!

We got a phone call from Elder Huss this morning! He is at the airport in Salt Lake, waiting with a group of 13 elders to fly out to Santa Barbara. It was so great to hear from him, and hear his voice. He is so happy - so happy to be on his way to serve, to be a missionary, and to get to work. He is feeling grateful for and realizing the ways he had been prepared to serve as a missionary, in more ways than he had even realized - the time to study scriptures intensely at the MTC has been a huge blessing as well. (I think of the many times I take that privilege and responsibility too lightly, and neglect or forget my own scripture study - which is so so stupid, when it is such a powerful tool for us!) Anyway, he is doing well, and excited to be undertaking this next phase of his life and his missionary adventure! Will keep you posted with further letters etc.!

Jared's first email home

Hi family, I'm sooooooooooo happy that Brother St. Laurent has decided to get baptized. I've been thinking about him and his family so much. I wish I could be there. I'm glad that Hans came to church again as well. Tell him I say hi and hope he's doing well. And the flag pole.. The MTC has been crazy. Exhausting. I'm not used to the 16-17 hour days. Saturday and Sunday I was really struggling just even to stay awake. There is one Elder in my district, he's this big guy, and he stabs himself in the face with pencils to stay awake. I haven't done that yet, but I think that I've made it through the worst part of the adjustment. So, the stress is tremendous. I'd give anything for a piano or guitar to play at night before I go to bed. But no music here. I'm going to just get a hymn book today so I can at least read some songs when I'm stressed. ... Oh, and if you could get any addresses of people who want me to write them that would be great. That's all for email. I miss you guys. I've been dreaming about you. Love you, --Elder Huss

Jared's Aug 28 email home

Hi Family, I always love hearing from you. Hopefully you're fowarding these to Josh. I forgot to write him last week.....sorry Josh... Elder _____ is doing better. He still struggles sometimes with obedience being when you follow the direction of others and not yourself, but he is doing great. In our companionship, he definitely compensates for my lack of energy or loudness.. This will be my last week here at the MTC. I leave next Monday (the 3rd) for California. ... I know I shouldn't be too excited to leave the MTC, but I am. I want to get out of this place!!!! ...I really needed the time here to study and learn and strengthen my testimony and faith in Jesus Christ, but at the same time, I'm dying to be back in the real world. Even when people will avoid me and my little black name tag. People will see me as Elder Huss, not Jared Huss, which is what they should see, but at the same time I'm still Jared Huss at heart. I'm just an ordinary person as we all are. I just want to help. ... Let's see... Oh! I'm also looking forward to not sharing showers with a few hundred other guys. I mentioned this to you guys already, but the MTC is overflowing right now with missionaries. They are having record numbers here right now, and it makes things crowded. You wait in line for a shower for 15-30 minutes. You wait in line for a meal for 15-30 minutes. At least you don't have to wait for toilets. I already have a couple stories I want to share with you when I get home. Remind me to tell you of my first night here when we were doing practice investigators in a group setting when someone farted. Loud. Well, I love you guys. I just dreamed about Mama and Josh last night dropping me off at a train station to leave for my mission. Every night here I have had a dream about someone back home. --Elder Huss see you in california

August 21, 2012

This was a great letter as it was a little longer and more newsy. I was so touched by his experience with his companion that shows that Jared is alive and well and that Heavenly Father is already using his very kind and caring spirit and his strong testimony to touch and bless others... "...First, I'll start with my companion...he is from Gilbert, AZ, and he is a "bro". Ask Christy if you don't know what bro's are. The first couple days were extremely rough for him. He changed the rules to fit how he wanted them to be, or sometimes just wouldn't follow them at all. He sort of was the perfect example of the careless high school boy. Things started to change though Friday night as we were going to bed. I was already lying in the bottom bunk, and I just had the impression to tell him thanks for being my companion. Right after that though, it felt like an elephant had sat on my chest. It was almost impossible for me to speak. I finally gathered up the strength and courage to just say, "Elder ____, thanks for being my companion." He then looked down at me from the top bunk, crying, and asked me why I said that. I replied, as he then told me that he felt terribly alone. He missed his family. He missed his friends. He missed his home. He was praying to God trying to feel better when he had the thought, "At least I have my companion." Just after that is when I spoke up. Since then, things have gotten better, and are continuing to get better, He asked me to give him a blessing the next night which our whole district participated in, and then yesterday we fasted as a companionship for him to really recognize why he is serving a mission. He studies now, and we do companionship study now where he participates a lot. The spirit was so strong this morning as we studied. He's doing great. Something that I'm sort of surprised by is just how many missionaries here don't know why they're here. Or another thing is how SO many don't know how to study scriptures. For me personally I wouldn't even serve a mission if I hadn't read the scriptures and developed a relationship with Heavenly Father. Maybe I should respect them for that though?" Then he goes on to give some news about his P-day, and that he's convinced the MTC is just out to fatten the guys up cause they feed them stuff like doughnuts and then they're sitting around studying and all and he can't wait to get out in the field and get moving! The MTC is packed, which is awesome; I guess summer really is prime time for missionaries to head out. They have 6 missionaries in their room with 2 dressers and 2 desks...fortunately there are 3 bunk beds! He asked for our prayers, which we of course always will be sending his way...yours are welcome too!

See ya in two years, Jared!

Well, it's official - Jared is gone; Elder Huss has arrived at the MTC! Big empty spot in our hearts and home; but so excited about the experiences and blessings and growth that will come to him, and the great opportunity of serving a mission that membership in the Church affords to him. First letter was a quick one just to let us know he'd arrived safely; he wrote... "I hope you guys are doing well. Days are slow and tough here, but it's a great place to learn a lot. I'm just glad I've gone through Preach My Gospel and have done splits with the missionaries before because it has given me a very significant head start in missionary work. Love you guys...Elder Huss...Happy Birthday Sam!!!"