12-26-11 Wonderful Christmas call! Elder Larsen's blessing

 IT WAS GOOD TO TALK TO ALL OF YOU AS WELL. IT WAS WEIRD WHEN I GOT OFF THE PHONE THE FIRST TIME I FELT LIKE ALL THAT HAD BEEN SAID WAS HI! HOW ARE YOU.... GOTTA GO. BUT OH WELL. IT WAS GREAT TO HEAR YOUR VOICES AND ESPECIALLY TO MEET BECCA OVER THE PHONE!

YESTERDAY WE GAVE ELDER LARSEN A BLESSING THAT HE WOULD BE CURED AND BE ABLE TO STAY ON THE MISSION (AND THE WHOLE ZONE IS FASTING), AND HIS COMPANION JUST CALLED ME AND SAID THAT TODAY THE DOCTOR SAID THAT THE WOUND IN HIS EYE IMPROVED A LOT AND THAT PROBABLY WONT NEED SURGERY!

YOU CAN ALWAYS GIVE ME ADVICE, A LOT OF TIMES THE ADVICE YOU GIVE IS WITH THINGS THAT I ALREADY KNOW I NEED TO IMPROVE AND/OR AM TRYING TO IMPROVE, SO IT'S SOMETIMES JUST A CONFIRMATION TO ME OF WHAT I NEED TO DO.

LOVE YOU ALL THANKS UNTIL NEXT WEEK

ELDER HOOKE 

12-19-11 Short and sweet

HEY FAMILY! SORRY FOR NOT WRITING TO YOU LAST WEEK WE HAVE BEEN AND STILL ARE EXTREMELY BUSY! I WILL JUST WRITE YOU SUPER QUICKLY RIGHT NOW AND I THINK THIS AFTERNOON WE WILL RETURN TO THE LANHOUSE. I AM IN ESCADA RIGHT NOW WITH THE ELDERS FROM ESCADA (AND MY COMP) AND WE ARE GONNA VISIT THE CACHOEIRA DO URUBU AGAIN (THE WATERFALL THAT I WENT TO LIKE A YEAR AGO).

THIS LAST WEEKEND I SPENT ON A DIVISION WITH THE MISSIONARIES FROM CABO, AND YES THERE IS A WARD THERE. IT WAS GREAT WE WERE ABLE TO HELP THEM OUT AND WHEN I LEFT GAIBU THINGS SEEMED TO GO BETTER WITH ELDER CASUCCIO AND THE OTHER ELDER. WE WORK TOGETHER WELL BECAUSE WE SHARE THE RESPONSIBILITIES WELL, AND FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A LONG TIME I DON'T HAVE TO ALWAYS BE THE ONE WHO THINKS OF WHAT TO SAY NEXT WHEN WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT TO SAY.  ESCADA IS ABOUT AN HOUR AND A HALF FROM GAIBU, BUT THERE ARE MISSIONARIES IN THIS ZONE MUCH FURTHER, IN PALMARES, TAMANDARÉ, AND CATENDE, WHICH CAN TAKE LIKE 3 OR 4 HOURS TO GET TO. I STILL HAVEN'T GONE;
I'LL ANSWER THE OTHER QUESTIONS LATER---- GOTTA GO!
LOVE ELDER HOOKE

12-5-11 Gaibu, Zone Leader with Elder Casuccio

HELLO BOM DIA FAMÍLIA HOOKE! THINGS ARE GOING WELL HERE IN GAIBU (guy-BOO). THIS LAST WEEK REALLY HAS BEEN FULL OF NEW STUFF. ELDER CASUCCIO (cah ZOO chee oh) IS A GREAT GUY, THE COMPANIONSHIP IS GOING WELL. HE AND I ARE DOING WELL, WITH GOOD HEALTH. 

HE IS ALSO A ZONE LEADER, THE AREAS IN OUR ZONE INCLUDE PONTE DOS CARVALHOS. I THINK I TOLD YOU GUYS ABOUT A YOUNG WOMAN ANANDA THAT I USED TO TEACH... WELL YESTERDAY I WENT TO PONTE AND TO HER HOUSE TO TEACH HER PARENTS AND MARK THEIR WEDDING AND BAPTISM! SHE WAS BAPTIZED ABOUT 3 MONTHS AGO AND IS DOING VERY WELL. SHE EVEN GAVE A TALK A FEW WEEKS AGO! HER BROTHER, GUILHERME, WHO HAD BEEN BAPTIZED A LITTLE BEFORE WHEN I GOT THERE, IS NOW FILLING OUT HIS PAPERS TO GO ON A MISSION.

THE GROUP HERE IN GAIBU WAS STARTED ABOUT 7-8 MONTHS AGO AND HAS ATTENDANCE OF ABOUT 30. WE MEET IN A SCHOOL HOUSE THAT REMINDS ME OF THE EPIC OF TOM SAWYER. IT'S REALLY ANCIENT. SUNDAY WAS INTERESTING, IT WAS A GOOD TESTIMONY MEETING. WE HAD 3 NEW INVESTIGATORS AT CHURCH, ALL OF WHICH WERE NEW INVESTIGATORS FROM THIS WEEK. WE ARE TEACHING A 19 YEAR OLD DANIEL WHO IS MARKED TO BE BAPTIZED THIS WEEK BUT IT WILL BE HARD BECAUSE HE MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO GET SUNDAYS OFF. WE'RE LOOKING FOR ANOTHER JOB FOR HIM.

I'LL TELL YOU MORE ABOUT PEOPLE HERE NEXT WEEK BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE MUCH MORE TIME.

THANK YOU AND HAVE A GREAT WEEK!

LOVE YOU ALL!

ELDER HOOKE