Monday, December 13, 2010

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


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