4-25-11 Easter in Brazil

EASTER WAS JUST ANOTHER DAY FOR US. THEY SELL CHOCOLATE EGGS AND STUFF, AND EVERYBODY WATCHES THE PASSION OF CHRIST ON TV, AND THAT'S ABOUT IT. THE TOPICS IN CHURCH HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH EASTER.

REBECA WAS THE ONLY INVESTIGATOR WHO WENT TO CHURCH, AND WE'VE MARKED HER BAPTISM FOR SATURDAY. IT'S STILL IFFY THOUGH.

YES THE MEMBERS ARE FEEDING US WELL. TODAY WE ARE GOING TO EAT LUNCH WITH OUR ZONE AT A CHURRASCARIA (BRAZILIAN ALL YOU CAN EAT MEAT HOUSE) BECAUSE WE ACHIEVED OUR ZONE GOAL OF 35 BAPTISMS (ALTHOUGH NOT ONE WAS FROM ME AND ELDER WAGNER). BUT IT SHOULD BE SOME REALLY GOOD FOOD SO I'M EXCITED FOR THAT.

IT'S FUNNY--HERE EVERYONE HAS PREPAID PHONES, AND THEY ARE USUALLY ALWAYS THE SAME MODEL WITHOUT ANYTHING FANCY. AND ALSO, WHEREVER YOU GO, EVERYONE HAS THE SAME RINGTONES (THERE ARE ABOUT 6 COOL CHOICES) SO WHEN ONE PERSON'S PHONE RINGS EVERYONE THINKS THEIR PHONE IS RINGING.

MY AREA HERE IS ON THE BEACH AND THE BREEZE THAT COMES OFF THE WATER IS SOOO NICE. IT'S DIFFERENT THOUGH, BECAUSE IT IS A WARM BREEZE. IT MAKES ME REALLY MISS BEING ABLE TO CHILL ON THE BEACH. THE WATER HERE IS REALLY PRETTY AND BLUE, BUT NOBODY SWIMS BECAUSE OF SHARKS.

YESTERDAY WAS LAME. WE LEFT THE HOUSE  TO VISIT PEOPLE BUT THE ONLY HOUSE WE GOT IN ALL DAY WAS OUR LUNCH AND ONE MEMBER LADY WHO WANTED A BLESSING. BUT WE STILL LEFT. WORKING SMART IS BETTER THAN WORKING JUST TO WORK, SO WERE GONNA TRY TO WORK WITH OUR MINDS MORE AND STOP WALKING SO MUCH, YOU KNOW, EFFICIENCY.

 THANKS FOR THE FASTING AND PRAYERS, I'M STILL GOING....

LOVE JON

4-18-11 New Investigators!

THE WARD I AM SERVING IN RIGHT NOW HASN’T HAD A BAPTISM SINCE NOVEMBER. BUT WE ARE HOPING TO HAVE THAT CHANGE THIS WEEK. WE’RE TEACHING AN 18 YR OLD GIRL, REBECA. SHE WAS AT CHURCH YESTERDAY, AND SHE ALSO WENT TO THE MISSIONARY FIRESIDE LAST NIGHT AND SHE REALLY FELT SOMETHING THERE. BEFORE IT SHE SAID SHE STILL DIDN’T REALLY BELIEVE IN THE RESTORATION, BUT AFTERWARD WE ASKED HER IF SHE WANTED TO MARK A DATE FOR HER BAPTISM, AND SHE SAID SHE JUST NEEDS TO TALK TO HER PARENTS FIRST [EVEN THOUGH] SHE CAN SIGN HER OWN BAPTISMAL FORM. SHE IS A FORMER INVESTIGATOR OF ELDER WAGNER WHEN HE STARTED HIS MISSION IN THIS AREA, AND THE ONLY REASON SHE WASN'T BAPTIZED WAS CUZ HER FAMILY WOULDN’T LET HER. I LIKE TEACHING HER, BECAUSE SHE IS SMART BUT VERY HUMBLE AND WANTS TO DO WHAT GOD WANTS.

WE ARE ALSO TEACHING A REALLY SINCERE 14 YEAR OLD GUY. HE WASN’T ABLE TO GO TO CHURCH YESTERDAY CUZ IT RAINED REALLY HARD AND HE LIVES FAR AWAY. HE WANTS TO BE BAPTIZED BUT HIS MOM DOESN’T. SO WE WILL BE TALKING WITH HIS MOM THIS WEEK TOO.

WE ARE WORKING HARD, AND MY COMP SAID THAT YESTERDAY WAS ONE OF THE FIRST TIMES THAT HE HAS EVER LEFT THE HOUSE TO WORK ON A SUNDAY AFTERNOON.  I THINK THAT A GRAND MAJORITY OF THE MISSION IS ASLEEP ON SUNDAY AFTER LUNCH.

LOVE,
ELDER HOOKE

4-11-11 Surprise transfer to Setúbal with Elder Wagner!

 I GOT TRANSFERRED! ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT AT 10 I GOT A CALL THAT I WOULD BE TRANSFERRED AT 9 THE NEXT MORNING. IT WAS REALLY ANNOYING BECAUSE I DIDN'T GET TO SAY BYE TO ANYBODY... WELL I GOT TRANSFERRED TO SETÚBAL, WHICH IS RIGHT ON THE BEACH OF BOA VIAGEM. IT IS A REALLY RICH AREA. I HAVE ENTERED INTO SOME APARTMENTS IN SKYSCRAPERS THAT ARE SUPER NICE, HUGE, AND ELEGANT. THIS IS THE RICHEST AREA ON THE MISSION. ALMOST EVERYONE IN THE WARD HAS CARS. WE ATE LUNCH WITH AN AMERICAN YESTERDAY THAT WORKS AT THE AMERICAN CONSULATE HERE, SO IT WAS COOL TO EAT BROWNIES AND ICE CREAM FOR DESSERT. WE DON'T REALLY HAVE ANY INVESTIGATORS YET BECAUSE WE OPENED THE AREA. I AM WITH ELDER WAGNER, FROM CURITIBA, WHO GOES HOME IN JUNE. WE ARE GETTING ALONG ALRIGHT SO FAR.  THIS WAS HIS FIRST AREA ON HIS MISSION AND HE ASKED THE PRESIDENT TO RETURN HERE TO FINISH HIS MISSION.

ANYWAYS NO ONE THAT WE INVITED WAS AT CHURCH YESTERDAY, EVEN THOUGH A FEW PEOPLE EVEN HAD MEMBERS PASS BY IN CARS TO PICK THEM UP. THERE WAS A COUPLE THAT WE MET AT CHURCH THAT HAS BEEN GOING TO CHURCH FOR 5 YEARS, FERNANDO AND REJANE, AND ARE NOT BAPTIZED. WE TALKED WITH FERNANDO FOR ABOUT AN HOUR LAST NIGHT AND THERE HAS BEEN A PROBLEM WITH PAPERWORK IN HIS DIVORCE FROM HIS LAST WIFE SO HE HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO MARRY HIS CURRENT "WIFE" OR GET BAPTIZED. HE IS REALLY COOL AND SMART, HAS A STRONG TESTIMONY (EVEN PAYS TITHING) AND BEST OF ALL HE MADE US PIZZA LAST NIGHT. JUST HAPPENS THAT HE IS GOING TO SALVADOR NEXT WEEK TO RESOLVE THE PAPER WORK PROBLEM AND THEN ELDER WAGNER AND I WILL PLAN THE MARRIAGE AND BAPTISM.  

WE ARE HAVING A FAMILY NIGHT TONIGHT WITH SOME INVESTIGATORS AND MEMBERS (I ALREADY MADE BROWNIES). THE MEMBERS ARE DOING PRETTY WELL AT GIVING US REFERENCES, ALTHOUGH IT IS HARD TO CONTACT THEM SOMETIMES. I FEEL MORE LIKE I'M AT HOME HERE- CARS, OCEAN BREEZE AND SMELL OF SALT WATER, BRAZILIAN GUY THAT FOLLOWS ME AROUND EVERYWHERE I GO... OH WAIT, THAT PART IS NEW.

WE ARE WORKING VERY HARD AND STAYING BUSY.
GOOD WEEK FOR ALL OF YOU, BYE

ELDER HOOKE

4-4-11 25 in English Class!

OLÁ BOM DIA MINHA FAMÍLIA. SIM, MUITAS VEZES PESSOAS DAQUI PERGUNTAM "QUE SIGNIFICA HOOKE" E EU RESPONDO, ENTÃO TENHO O APELIDO DE ELDER GANCHO COM ALGUMAS PESSOAS. (Something like: "Hello & good day, my family. Yes, many times people from here ask "What does 'Hooke'" mean?" and I respond, "Well, I have the name of Elder Gancho with some people."  (Hook = Gancho in Portuguese)

THIS WEEK WAS TOUGH. THERE WERE SOME COOL EXPERIENCES MIXED IN THOUGH, SO I GUESS IT WENT WELL. WE ONLY HAVE ONE NEW INVESTIGATOR FROM LAST WEEK. A COOL LADY (LIKE 35 YR OLD) NAMED CLAUDIA. SHE PREACHES TO US JUST AS MUCH AS WE TEACH HER THOUGH, BUT HONESTLY I LIKE IT. SHE IS A VERY STRONG MEMBER IN A LITTLE PROTESTANT CHURCH HERE. BUT YEAH SHE COMES TO OUR ENGLISH CLASS NOW AND SHE WOULD HAVE GONE TO CONFERENCE WITH US BUT SHE HAD SOME DILEMMA WITH HER DAUGHTERS. NO ONE WENT TO CONFERENCE. IT WAS MY FIRST WEEK IN BRASIL HAVING NO ONE AT CHURCH.  THE ENTIRE MISSION IS VERY SLOW RIGHT NOW. THE NUMBER OF BAPTISMS IS WAY DOWN AND EVERY AREA IN OUR ZONE IS STRUGGLING. I DON'T REALLY KNOW WHY IT IS LIKE THAT FOR THE MISSION. 

THE ENGLISH CLASS IS DOING JUST FINE AND IT'S KIND OF NICE TO GO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT, AND SOMETHING THAT ALL THE STUDENTS REALLY APPRECIATE. WE OFFERED LITTLE BOOKS ABOUT THE RESTORATION, PLAN OF SALVATION, AND GOSPEL OF CHRIST AT THE CLASS AND ALMOST EVERYONE CAME UP AFTER AND ASKED IF THEY COULD TAKE ONE OR MORE THAN ONE. THERE WERE PROBABLY ABOUT 25 STUDENTS ON TUESDAY.

JAILSON'S DOING WELL, WE NEED TO FIND MORE PEOPLE LIKE HIM. ELDER HALVORSEN IS STILL WORKING HARD. ITS GOING WELL.

YEAH I LISTENED TO EVERY SESSION [OF GENERAL CONFERENCE] EXCEPT FOR THE PRIESTHOOD ONE. I WAS PRETTY TIRED DURING SOME OF THEM... BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO SEND THEM--WE WILL RECEIVE THE MAGAZINE NEXT MONTH WITH EVERYTHING.

I JUST THIS WEEK GOT THE BIG ENVELOPE FROM EM... THANKS, WE LIKED THE STARBURSTS. ELDER HALVORSEN SAID "YOU SHOULD SEND MORE NEXT TIME SO THAT ELDER HOOKE CAN HAVE SOME TOO"... HAHA

WELLP, TCHAU

ELDER HOOKE