12-27-10 Ruan's Baptism

HI FAM
I HAVE POCO TEMPO HOJE! BUT YEAH IT WAS GREAT TALKING TO YOU TOO... AND DON'T WORRY I'LL GET THE PACKAGES SOME DAY...

WE DID HAVE THE BAPTISM OF RUAN YESTERDAY AND IT WENT REALLY WELL. IT WAS AT NIGHT, AND LOTS OF THE OLD FRIENDS OF RUAN'S FAMILY WENT TO IT. HIS FAM, IF YOU RECALL, USED TO BE REALLY FIRM, HIS MOM WENT THRU THE TEMPLE AND HIS BROTHER SERVED A MISSION AND EVERYTHING, BUT HE MOVED AWAY AND THE REST OF THE FAMILY USED SOME LITTLE THINGS THAT HAPPENED AS AN EXCUSE TO LEAVE THE CHURCH. SO THE BAPTISM OF RUAN WAS THE FIRST ACTIVITY OF THE CHURCH THAT HIS FAM (BESIDES HIM) HAS ATTENDED IN A LONG TIME, AND THEY ALL REALLY LOVED IT. I MADE BROWNIES, AND HIS MOM JOKINGLY TOLD ME THAT IF I MAKE BROWNIES SHE'LL GO TO CHURCH SUNDAY. BUT SHE REALLY DOES HAVE THE DESIRE TO RETURN NOW, FOR THE FIRST TIME IN YEARS, SO WE'RE HOPING THAT HIS BAPTISM AND HIS FIRMEZA WILL HELP HIS FAMILY RETURN. THAT WAS PRETTY MUCH THE EVENT OF YESTERDAY, OTHER THAN A FEW LESSONS. SO YEAH TUDO BEM AND BOA SEMANA PARA VOCES!

                                              Ruan's Baptism

LOVE

ELDER HOOKE 

12-13-10 Cleonice 's Baptism

HELLO FAMILY!  THE WEEK WENT REALLY WELL. LOTS OF THINGS HAPPENED, BUT I JUST HAVE TIME TO WRITE A FEW. SO CLEONICE, WHO ENDED UP DISSAPOINTING LAST WEEK, WAS BAPTIZED ON SUNDAY! SHE FINALLY LEFT HER HOUSE AND USED THE WHEELCHAIR THAT WE GOT FOR HER, AND A MEMBER GAVE HER A RIDE. SHE LOVED CHURCH, AND THEN AFTER, WE HAD TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE WERE GOING TO DO THE BAPTISM. 

                                                                 Cleonice's Baptism Day

SO HERE'S HOW IT WORKED: ELDER PRIETO AND I BOTH DRESSED IN WHITE AND CARRIED HER INTO THE FONT ON A REGULAR CHAIR. WE FILLED IT HIGH TO MAKE IT EASIER. INTERESTINGLY, SHE AND THE CHAIR ENDED UP BEING LESS DENSE THAN THE WATER, SO SHE WAS BASICALLY DOING A BACKFLOAT. I SAID THE BAPTISM PRAYER, AND THEN AS I BAPTIZED HER UPPER BODY, ELDER PRIETO REMOVED THE CHAIR FROM UNDER HER AND PUSHED HER LEGS UNDER THE WATER. IT TOOK ONLY ONE TRY! AND GOOD THING BECAUSE WHEN SHE EMERGED FROM THE WATER SHE WAS COUGHING AND I WAS AFRAID FOR HER LIFE! WE CARRIED HER UP INTO THE BATHROOM AND SAT HER IN A CHAIR AS SHE CAUGHT HER BREATH. THEN SHE WAS SOOO HAPPY! SHE COULD NOT STOP SMILING AND IT MADE IT ALL WORTH IT. IT WAS A GOOD EXPERIENCE THAT MAKES ME GLAD TO BE A MISSIONARY.

WE HAD LOTS OF INVESTIGATORS AT CHURCH TOO BECAUSE IT WAS THE PRIMARY PROGRAM. WE INVITED A KID (11 YR OLD SON OF A LESS ACTIVE FAMILY), RUAN, TO CHURCH FOR THE FIRST TIME IN YEARS AND PROMISED HIM THAT HE WOULD BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PRIMARY PROGRAM. IT WORKED OUT PERFECTLY BECAUSE A GIRL IN THE WARD HAD A LITTLE TALK BUT WAS NOT ABLE TO GIVE IT, SO HE GAVE A LITTLE TALK AT CHURCH HIS FIRST SUNDAY IN YEARS, WHICH WAS FUNNY. HE ALSO BROUGHT HIS 2FRIENDS AND THEY ALL LIKED IT A LOT.

THE COMPANIONSHIP IS GOING WELL. WE'RE GETTING ALONG WELL, AND WORKING HARD SO IT'S ALL GOOD. WE CLIMBED UP TO THE FOURTH FLOOR OF OUR BUILDING (WHICH HAS NO ROOF, JUST LITTLE WALLS) THE OTHER NIGHT TO EAT WATERMELON. WE EACH HAD A 4TH OF A WATERMELON. I LOOKED OVER RANDOMLY AND MY COMP WAS SPINNING AROUND WITH HIS PIECE, AND THE NEXT SECOND IT WAS FLYING DOWN TO THE PARKING LOT WHERE IT EXPLODED! SO RANDOM BUT IT WAS REALLY FUNNY. AND DONT WORRY WE, NO, I CLEANED IT UP.

YESTERDAY WE WENT WITH THE BISHOP TO THE CITY TO BUY THINGS WITH HIM FOR OUR CHRISTMAS PARTY THIS SATURDAY NIGHT. ITLL BE A BIG EVENT, AND WE'RE HOPING AND PRAYING THAT IT CAN ALL GO WELL.

OTHER NEWS OF SAN MARTIN: TERESA, CASSIAS MOM IS MARKED AND EXCITEDTO BE BAPTISED THIS WEEKEND. SHE STILL HASNT TOLD HER HUSBAND, SO WE'RE HOPING ALL GOES WELL WITH THAT (HE WAS THE ONE MOST OPPOSED TO CASSIAS BAPTISM TOO). CÁSSIA GOT A CALLING, IT IS THE SOLEDADEDADE OR SOMETHING. I DONT KNOW THE WORD, BUT BASICALLY SHE HELPS POOR PEOPLE IN THE WARD WHEN THEY NEED HELP. PRIMARY PROGRAM WENT REALLY WELL. LETS SEE, WE'RE TEACHING LOTS OF PEOPLE.

[The way the people pronounce Jon's name is "Elder OO-kay"]

LOVE YOU TOO, THANKS FOR EVERYTHING. HAVE A GOOD WEEK! TCHAU

ELDER HOOKE

12-6-10 The Ups and Downs of a Mission

12-6-10

HELLO FAMILY,
I'M DOING WELL HERE. WE HAD A LONG WEEK, ANOTHER ROLLER COASTER. THERE ARE ALWAYS LOTS OF AMAZING THINGS AND LOTS OF REALLY DISAPPOINTING THINGS THAT HAPPEN, ALMOST DAILY. SERIOUSLY ITS HARD TO DESCRIBE.

 FOR EXAMPLE, WE MET THIS NICE OLD LADY, CLEONICE, (GOOD) BUT SHE'S BED RIDDEN BECAUSE SHE BROKE HER FEMUR (BAD). SHE WAS BEING TAUGHT BY MISSIONARIES IN MACEIÓ (GOOD) BUT THEN HER SON KILLED HIMSELF. (YOU GET THE POINT). SHE STOPPED TAKING THE LESSONS AND MOVED TO SAN MARTIN. SHE HAD A SURGERY RECENTLY FOR HER FEMUR, AND THEN A MEMBER OF OUR WARD STARTED HELPING TAKE CARE OF HER. SHE TALKED WITH HER ABOUT THE GOSPEL, AND CLEONICE TALKED ABOUT HOW SHE ALREADY HAD A TESTIMONY THAT THIS CHURCH IS TRUE BUT NEVER WAS BAPTIZED. SO THE MEMBER, REGINA, BROUGHT US OVER THERE AND WE GAVE HER A BLESSING AND TAUGHT HER  AND ARRANGED A BAPTISM FOR YESTERDAY. SHE HAD NO WAY TO GET TO THE CHURCH OR GET AROUND IN THE CHURCH SO MY COMP AND I PROMISED WE'D GET A WHEELCHAIR FOR HER SOMEHOW. SO SATURDAY WE WENT TO RECIFE TO RENT A WHEELCHAIR AT THIS COMPANY THAT WE HAD ALREADY CALLED AND EVERYTHING SHOULD HAVE WORKED FINE. BUT WHEN WE GOT THERE, THE STORE WAS MYSTERIOUSLY CLOSED FOR SOME REASON, FOR THE REST OF THE DAY. SO WE WENT AROUND TO THE CHAPELS THERE ASKING EVERYONE, BUT NO ONE HAD A WHEELCHAIR. THEN WE RETURNED TO SAN MARTIN, DISAPPOINTED, AND THE BISHOP TOLD US ABOUT SOMEONE WHO MIGHT HAVE ONE. SO WE WENT TO THAT HOUSE AND THE MOMENT WE MENTIONED OUR NEED FOR A WHEELCHAIR SHE SAID "OH I HAVE ONE THAT YOU GUYS CAN KEEP". SO THEN WE WERE REALLY EXCITED AND BROUGHT IT TO CLEONICE'S AND SHE WAS ALL HAPPY AND EVERYTHING WAS ALL FINE AND WHAT NOT. BUT THEN SUNDAY MORNING WE WENT THERE AND SHE TOLD US THAT SHE WAS TOO SICK AND COULDN'T GO TO CHURCH!! AND WE'D ALREADY ANNOUNCED HER BAPTISM, ARRANGED A RIDE (WHICH IS DIFFICULT WHEN THERE ARE ONLY ABOUT 3 PEOPLE IN THE WARD WITH CARS) AND FILLED THE FONT AND EVERYTHING! SO I KNOW THAT'S KINDA AN ANTICLIMACTIC ENDING, BUT WE DID RE-MARK FOR NEXT SUNDAY, SO WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS.

SO YEAH THAT'S JUST ONE RANDOM EXAMPLE OF A CHAIN OF EVENTS THAT SHOWS THE CRAZINESS OF THE MISSION. 

THERE WERE OTHER BETTER THINGS THAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK. SOME INTERESTING THINGS:

WE WENT TO A DAY CARE THING (ALMOST LIKE AN ORPHANAGE BECAUSE SOME KIDS HAVE TO SLEEP THERE) TO HELP OUT. I PLAYED THE GUITAR AND ELDER PRIETO TOLD STORIES, LIKE THE STORY OF NEPHI AND HIS JOURNEY TO AMERICA. I PLAYED CHORDS AND STUFF TO TRY TO MATCH WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN THE STORY SO THAT WAS FUN.

A YOUNG WOMAN IN THE WARD INTRODUCED US TO HER FRIEND, MAYARA, AND NOW WE ARE TEACHING HER ALMOST EVERY DAY. SHE IS REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THE CHURCH, AND ALREADY READ, PRAYED, RECEIVED AN ANSWER, AND DECIDED TO BE BAPTIZED. IT SHOULD BE DECEMBER 18 OR 19 OR WHICHEVER DAY IS SUNDAY. SHE WENT TO CHURCH YESTERDAY AND WAS VERY WELL RECEIVED. THIS WARD IS HARD TO WORK WITH DURING THE WEEK, BUT THEY DO HELP OUR INVESTIGATORS FEEL AT HOME AND LOVED ON SUNDAYS AT CHURCH, WHICH IS NICE.

CÁSSIA BROUGHT HER SISTER IN LAW AND NIECE TO CHURCH, AND WE ARE TEACHING THEM TOO. CÁSSIA GOT UP AND BORE HER TESTIMONY AND IT WAS VERY POWERFUL. IT'S AWESOME TO SEE HOW MUCH SHE HAS CHANGED IN THE LAST MONTH BECAUSE OF THE GOSPEL. HER SISTER IN LAW TOLD ME YESTERDAY THAT CÁSSIA IS A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PERSON, AND MUCH NICER TO LIVE WITH SINCE SHE STARTED LISTENING TO OUR MESSAGE.

                                                 Elder Prieto, Adlán, Elder Hooke

ADLÂN WAS CONFIRMED YESTERDAY AND WE HAD A LESSON WITH HIM ABOUT THE PRIESTHOOD. HE IS VERY STRONG, AND HIS TESTIMONY IS GROWING EVERY TIME I TALK TO HIM.

THANKS FOR ALL THE ADVICE, PRAYERS, LETTERS, PACKAGES, UPDATES, AND STUFF. HAVE A GOOD WEEK!

ELDER HOOKE