THIS LAST WEEK WENT VERY WELL. WE DIDN'T WORK THAT MUCH BECAUSE OF WAGNER'S TRUNKYNESS, BUT WE HAD FUN VISITING MEMBERS AND STUFF, AND WE WERE ABLE TO BAPTIZE. THE OTHER DUPLA IN CAMARAGIBE, ELDER JOHNSON AND ELDER BRADLEY, FOUND A WIDOWED LADY THAT WAS VERY EXCITED TO TALK TO MISSIONARIES. HER STORY IS SIMILAR TO LINDALVA'S, SHE WAS BAPTIZED YEARS AGO AND LOST CONTACT WITH THE CHURCH BUT NOW WANTS TO RETURN. SHE TOLD THE THE OTHER ELDERS THAT HER 3 KIDS HAVE BEEN STUDYING THE BOOK OF MORMON BUT THEY'VE NEVER BEEN TO CHURCH CUZ THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHERE IT WAS. SO LAST SUNDAY DAYANNA, 15, DAVID, 13, AND ISRAEL, 11, WERE AT CHURCH AND LOVED IT. THEY DECIDED ALREADY THAT THEY WANTED TO BE BAPTIZED. SO BRADLEY, WHO IS NEW AND DOESN'T SPEAK MUCH YET, LET ME DO SOME DIVISIONS WITH JOHNSON DURING THE WEEK AND I GOT TO HELP THEM TEACH THE FAMILY. IT WAS REALLY COOL, THEY ARE TRULY ELECT AND WERE ALREADY READY, LIVING ALL THE COMMANDMENTS AND STUFF. SO SUNDAY AFTER CHURCH THEY WERE ALL BAPTIZED, AND DAYANA ASKED ME TO BAPTIZE HER, AND BRADLEY AND JOHNSON BAPTIZED THE OTHER TWO GUYS.
Baptism of Dayanna, Israel, & David (w Elder Johnson, Elder Hooke, Elder Bradley, Elder Wagner)
WE ALSO KEPT WORKING WITH FLAVIO, THE 18 YR OLD BOY, AND HE WAS BAPTIZED IN THE SAME MEETING YESTERDAY. HE WAS HAPPY, AND WAGNER BAPTIZED HIM. SO ALL 4 OF THE MISSIONARIES HERE IN CAMARAGIBE BAPTIZED SOMEONE YESTERDAY. WE HAVE SOME SWEET PICTURES, BUT UNFORTUNATELY I'M NOT WITH MY CABLE TO SEND THEM RIGHT NOW. FLAVIO STOPPED SMOKING STARTING 3 WEEKS AGO, THE FIRST DAY HE WENT TO CHURCH.
Baptism of Flavio--[sorry--couldn't figure out how to turn the pic...]
SATURDAY NIGHT, WE WERE ALSO ABLE TO GO TO A VERY SPECIAL BAPTISM IN SETÚBAL. PEDRO AND AERLANE, THE COUPLE WHOSE HOUSE I CALLED HOME FROM ON MOTHERS DAY, HAVE BEEN GOING TO CHURCH FOR A FEW YEARS, AND AERLANE WAS BAPTIZED BY HER SON (WHO IS HOME ON A BREAK RIGHT NOW FROM BYU HAWAII) 2 YEARS AGO, IN WAGNER'S FIRST TRANSFER OF THE MISSION (HE STARTED IN SETÚBAL). WAGNER ALSO TAUGHT PEDRO, BUT IT WAS VERY HARD FOR PEDRO TO MAKE A COMMITMENT WITH THE CHURCH; HE DID SEMINARY FOR SEVERAL YEARS TO BECOME A CATHOLIC PADRE, BUT EVENTUALLY DROPPED OUT TO GET MARRIED. ANYWAYS HE FINALLY HAD SEVERAL SPECIAL EXPERIENCES IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS WHICH MADE HIM DECIDE TO GET BAPTIZED, WHICH HE TOLD US ALL ABOUT IN HIS TESTIMONY AT HIS BAPTISM. THE FAMILY BOUGHT PIZZA FOR EVERYONE AFTER, WHICH WAS COOL.
SO IT WAS A GOOD WEEK TO END WAGNER'S MISSION.
Elder Wagner prepares to return home
YEP SO THIS WEEKEND JOEMESEN MIGHT GET BAPTIZED, HE WENT TO CHURCH WHICH SURPRISED US, AND WE WILL TEACH HIM DURING THE WEEK. NIDA, THE 18 YR OLD GIRL (I THINK I TOLD YOU ABOUT HER) IS ALSO MARKED TO BE BAPTIZED, NOT THIS WEEKEND BUT THE NEXT. SHE WAS AT CHURCH AND IS REALLY LIKING EVERYTHING, ALTHOUGH SHE'S VERY SHY AND SOMETIMES IT'S HARD TO TELL.
SATURDAY OUR WARD HAD ANOTHER MISSIONARY ACTIVITY, MOVIE NIGHT IN THE CHAPEL, WHICH WAS RUN BY THE OTHER DUPLA (WE WENT TO PEDRO'S BAPTISM) WHICH ALSO HAD A VERY SMALL TURNOUT, HE SAID LIKE 15 PEOPLE. AND BY THE END OF THE MOVIE THERE WERE ABOUT 4 PEOPLE WATCHING, INCLUDING THE MISSIONARIES, WHICH I THOUGHT WAS PRETTY FUNNY.
TODAY IS TRANSFERS, I WAS VERY HAPPY TO BE ABLE TO STAY IN CAMARAGIBE, AND WE'LL KEEP 2 DUPLAS IN THE AREA. I'M GOING TO TRAIN A NEW ELDER, WHO WILL ARRIVE IN THE FIELD TOMORROW. THERE ARE 19 NEW MISSIONARIES ARRIVING TOMORROW, ALL BRASILIAN. SO THIS TRANSFER WILL BE A GOOD EXPERIENCE (I HOPE). IT'S GONNA BE NICE TO BE WITH SOMEONE FRESH, WITH MOTIVATION...
THAT'S A LOT OF NEWS FOR ONE WEEK.
DONE.
LOVE
ELDER HOOKE
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