4-30-12 Coming down the home stretch!

4-30-12

HELLO FAMILY!!
I WAS SUPPOSED TO SEND THE ZONE'S NUMBERS TODAY, BUT I WILL MAKE MY COMP DO IT SO I CAN READ YOUR EMAIL TUDINHO!!! HAHA
THIS WEEK WAS UNBELIEVABLE, AS TOM'S SALES PARTNERS FROM APEX WOULD SAY. WE ACTUALLY DID SEE THE HAND OF THE LORD IN A FEW INSTANCES, BUT STILL NOT ANY FRUITS WITH INVESTIGATORS. WE DID HELP A FEW LESS ACTIVES THAT HADN'T BEEN TO CHURCH FOR A WHILE TO GO TO CHURCH, AND TO MARK WITH THE BISHOP TO BE ABLE TO RETURN AND GET CALLINGS, SO AT LEAST SOMETHING VISIBLY GOOD HAPPENED.

 

SO MONDAY WE WERE FRUSTRATED AND DIDN'T KNOW WHO TO VISIT BECAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY INVESTIGATORS, SO WE PRAYED TO KNOW WHERE TO GO. WHEN WE WERE PRAYING I THOUGHT OF AN OLDER MEMBER LADY THAT WE HAD NEVER VISITED, THAT IS ALWAYS HAPPY AT CHURCH, BUT WHO PROBABLY HASN'T WORKED WITH THE MISSIONARIES LATELY. WHEN WE GOT TO HER HOUSE (WHERE SHE LIVES ALONE) SHE WAS ABOUT TO START HER FHE--- ALONE. SO SHE WAS SUPER HAPPY WE CAME AND WE DID A FAMILY NIGHT WITH HER ABOUT MISSIONARY WORK, AND SHE GAVE US SOME GREAT REFERENCES OF SOME PEOPLE AT WORK. WE THEN LEFT, AND SHE WALKED DOWN THE STREET WITH US INTRODUCING US TO ALL OF HER NEIGHBORS!! THAT IS THE GOOD PART THAT I REALLY BELIEVE WE WERE LED THERE....
BUT NONE OF HER NEIGHBORS WERE INTERESTED (EXCEPT MAYBE FOR ONE THAT WE WILL GO BACK TO VISIT). THE GIRLS FROM HER WORK WERE VERY CURIOUS AND WE MARKED TO TEACH THEM, BUT WHEN WE WENT THERE TO TEACH THEM IT WAS VERY EVIDENT THAT SOMEONE HAD SAID A BUNCH OF [STUFF] ABOUT THE CHURCH AND THEY MADE UP EXCUSES WHY THEY COULDN'T HEAR US THAT DAY. SUNDAY THEY ALSO DIDN'T GO TO CHURCH, DESPITE HAVING PROMISED THAT THEY WOULD. BUT THEIR MEMBER FRIEND WILL CONTINUE WORKING WITH THEM AND THEY DEFINITELY HAVE POTENTIAL.

WE GOT A FEW OTHER NEW INVESTIGATORS DURING THE WEEK, BUT NONE OF THEM ACTED (READ, PRAY, GO TO CHURCH) ON THE MESSAGE, SO ONCE AGAIN, WE DON'T HAVE INVESTIGATORS.

MANY PEOPLE IN THE WARD HAVE TOLD ME THAT [I WILL RECEIVE BLESSINGS LATER  BECAUSE I HAVE SERVED A MISSION] AS THEY HAVE NOTICED THAT WE ARE NOT HAVING ANY SUCCESS (VISIBLY). I REALLY HAVE TRIED, I DON'T KNOW IF I HAVE BEEN A GOOD  MISSIONARY, BUT I DID WHAT I COULD TO FULFILL MY CALLING AND I GUESS I SHOULDN'T BE DISAPPOINTED WITH THAT. I HOPE TO BE ABLE TO FIND MANY OF THE CONVERTS FROM MY MISSION STILL ACTIVE IN THE CHURCH WHEN WE VISIT THEM NEXT WEEK! BUT UNFORTUNATELY I ALREADY KNOW OF MANY WHO RETURNED TO THEIR PREVIOUS LIVES.

THANK YOU AND LOVE YOU ALL!
LOVE
ELDER HOOKE

4-23-12 Another hard week

4-23-12
HELLO FAMILY!

THIS LAST WEEK WAS PRETTY HARD. WE HAD TO DROP SEVERAL INVESTIGATORS THAT WE HAVE BEEN WASTING TIME WITH THAT DO NOT GO TO CHURCH AND MANY THAT DON'T EVEN READ OR PRAY. WE BASICALLY DON'T HAVE ANYONE NOW. LITERALLY. IT IS REALLY DISCOURAGING. 

TUESDAY WE WENT TO PALMARES TO ATTEND THE DISTRICT MEETING THERE AND GIVE A LITTLE TRAINING (ALTHOUGH I FEEL INADEQUATE FOR THAT BECAUSE MY AREA IS PRETTY MUCH THE WORST ONE IN THE ZONE RIGHT NOW). BUT ANYWAYS THAT WAS COOL AND WE ALSO HAD A CHURRASCO AFTER (BBQ), AND DID A DIVISION WITH THE ELDERS IN THE PALMARES AREA. THEN WE SPENT THE REST OF THE WEEK IN CABO.WE FOUND A FEW PEOPLE (DOING CONTACTS) THAT SEEM LIKE THEY COULD HAVE GOOD POTENTIAL BUT NONE WENT TO CHURCH. NO ONE. I HONESTLY DON'T KNOW WHY WE ARE HAVING NO RESULTS HERE BECAUSE I AM NOT WORKING LESS HARD THAN ANY OTHER TIME ON THE MISSION, AND AFTER 2 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, ONE WOULD THINK THAT I WOULD BE A BETTER MISSIONARY AND A MORE EFFECTIVE ONE THAN AT ANY OTHER TIME, BUT NOTHING THAT WE ARE DOING WORKS OUT WELL. 

I DON'T REMEMBER IF I TOLD YOU ABOUT SUELY, A LADY THAT WE CONTACTED LIKE 3 MONTHS AGO IN GAIBU. SHE LIVES IN THE OTHER DUPLAS PART OF CABO, SO WE PASSED THE REFERRAL TO THEM. ANYWAYS SHE WAS BAPTIZED LAST WEEK AND CONFIRMED THIS WEEK AND SHE IS SUPER EXCITED TO SERVE IN THE CHURCH. THAT MEANS AT LEAST ONE 5 MINUTE CONTACT THAT WE DID MONTHS AGO MADE A DIFFERENCE, BUT BESIDES THAT, THERE ARE NO VISIBLE RESULTS.  BUT YEAH THERE ISN'T ANYTHING SPECIFIC TO PRAY FOR, JUST MAYBE THAT WE CAN HAVE SOME SORT OF MIRACLE HERE BEFORE MY MISSION ENDS!

A quote I sent to Jon, by President Howard W. Hunter, from April conference, 1994:

"Let us follow the Son of God in all ways and in all walks of life.  Let us make him our exemplar and our guide.  We should at every opportunity ask ourselves, 'What would Jesus do?' and then be more courageous to act upon the answer.  We must follow Christ, in the best sense of that word. We must be about his work as he was about his Father's.  We should try to be like him, even as the Primary children sing, 'Try, try, try.'  To the extent that our mortal powers permit, we should make every effort to become like Christ - the one perfect and sinless example this world has ever seen.

"His beloved disciple John often said of Christ, 'We beheld his glory' (John 1:14).  They observed the Savior's perfect life as he worked and taught and prayed.  So, too, ought we to 'behold his glory' in every way we can.

"We must know Christ better than we know him; we must remember him more often than we remember him; we must serve him more valiantly than we serve him.  Then we will drink water springing up unto eternal life and will eat the bread of life.

"What manner of men and women ought we to be?  Even as he is."

ALRIGHT THANKS FOR THE QUOTE! I LOVE YOU ALL

TCHAU

ELDER HOOKE 

4-16-12 Good attitude, not so good week

THIS WEEK WAS YET ONE MORE FRUITLESS WEEK. BUT I DECIDED THAT I AM GONNA DO MY PART UNTIL THE END AND NOT WORRY ABOUT THE RESULTS, BECAUSE I CAN'T CHANGE ANYTHING, SO WORRYING OR GETTING MAD OR FRUSTRATED DOESN'T HELP AT ALL. ALTHOUGH I HAVE TO ADMIT THAT IT IS VERY HARD TO FIGHT OFF THE FEELING OF FRUSTRATION RIGHT NOW.

[Elder Holland recently spoke to Harvard Law School students regarding

the church, and then had a question/answer period afterwards. I
transcribed the following from YouTube for Jon, because I thought it
was very pertinent to his current situation:

The question posed to Elder Holland was something like "Has having
generations of missionaries serving abroad changed the character of
the church?" 

 Elder Holland's response:
"Ostensibly, theoretically, and truthfully, it [missionary service] is
for the church. It is service to the kingdom and religious principles
and to spread Christianity. But in fact, I would do it, and I would
institutionalize it and I would include and encourage everyone to go
who can go and wants to go, if not a single solitary person joined the
church. If not one joined the church, I would still say do it, simply
because of what it meant to me. I think no young man in this church
was ever more affected by a mission than I was. And that partly is
simply the context out of which I have come in my childhood, in my
life, in my youth. So, I'm just a horribly biased person.

We're out to the tune of 56,000 missionaries. Probably soon, our
trajectory, just the demographics are that we'll probably be around
70,000 missionaries in about 3 or 4 years. And [the missionaries] are
supposed to go give service, they're supposed to love people where
they are, and if they join the church, fine, but if they don't, fine.
If they can do ANYthing...ANYthing they can do--ANY single, solitary,
Christian, decent, worthy, thing they can do--they're supposed to go
do. And if people join the church, great, and if they don't [the
missionaries] have left a nation or a community or a family or a
person better than they found them. And that's our call to a
missionary. And that can't help but do good to the individual, and
that can't help but have changed the face of the church in the 21st
century, because it has--there's no question about it."

I LIKE THAT QUOTE. I WILL STRIVE TO DO EVERY CHRISTIAN, DECENT, WORTHY ACT THAT APPEARS. IT IS INTERESTING THE DIFFERENCE IN EMPHASIS WHEN THEY TALK TO MISSIONARIES, AND WHEN THEY TALK TO NON MEMBERS. BECAUSE I DEFINITELY WOULD NOT HEAR THAT IN A MEETING OF JUST MISSIONARIES.

LOVE YOU TOO AND THANKS FOR THE GREAT FOTOS!!

LOVE

ELDER HOOKE

4-9-12 Oriane

THIS WEEK WAS EQUALLY DIFFICULT AND FRUSTRATING... BUT ORIANE WAS AT CHURCH WITH HER BROTHER (WE HAVE BEEN TEACHING HER AND SHE ALWAYS GOES TO CHURCH WITH HER NEIGHBOR). SHE IS 30 YRS OLD AND A MEMBER OF THE CHURCH OF THE VEIL. SHE IS NOW MISSING HER CHURCH TO GO TO OURS WHICH IS GOOD BUT SHE STILL HASN'T RECEIVED AN ANSWER ABOUT THE RESTORATION AND FOR THIS STILL HASN'T ACCEPTED BAPTISM.

HOPEFULLY I WILL BAPTIZE HERE! I HAVE BEEN MORE TIME HERE WITHOUT BAPTIZING THEN IN ANY OTHER PART OF MY MISSION. SAD HUH? RIGHT AT THE END.

TCHAU LOVE YOU ALL 

ELDER HOOKE

4-2-12 Starting last transfer!

4-2-12

THIS LAST WEEK WAS ONE MORE VERY TOUGH WEEK WITH VERY FEW FRUITS. I WAS PRETTY SURE I WOULD BE TRANSFERRED TODAY BECAUSE NOBODY GENERALLY ENDS THEIR MISSION AS A LZ, BUT FOR SOME REASON I STAYED HERE. NOBODY IN OUR ENTIRE ZONE WAS TRANSFERRED, WHICH I FOUND STRANGE. IT WILL STAY AS IT IS. WE MIGHT MOVE TO CABO THIS WEEK (AS WE WERE GONNA DO LIKE 2 MONTHS AGO, AND PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE DONE). YRIS GOES TO CHURCH BECAUSE HER MOM HAS A TESTIMONY, AND A GOOD FRIEND IN THE CHURCH, AND A CALLING. AND PEDRO IS DOING PRETTY WELL BECAUSE THE YOUNG MEN ARE REALLY STRONG AND HAVE BECOME FRIENDS WITH HIM.

AS FAR AS INVESTIGATORS GO, WE ARE PRETTY WEAK. IT HAS BEEN REALLY DISCOURAGING THESE LAST COUPLE WEEKS, WHICH IS ONE MORE REASON I WANTED TO BE TRANSFERRED BECAUSE THIS WOULD BE A BAD WAY TO END MY MISSION. OH WELL. THERE ARE SOME COOL MEMBERS HERE THAT I HAVE BECOME GOOD FRIENDS WITH, AND I SAID ALL MY GOOD BYES YESTERDAY AND THEN WHEN WE GOT HOME I FOUND OUT I'M NOT LEAVING!

OH YEAH HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! I REMEMBERED DURING THE WEEK LAST WEEK WHEN SOMEONE ASKED ME "WHEN IS YOUR MOMS BIRTHDAY?" RANDOM, HUH? THEN I THOUGHT A BOUT IT AND I WAS LIKE, WHAT DO YOU KNOW, IT IS THIS SUNDAY! I HOPE IT WAS A GOOD DAY AND THAT YOU DON'T FEEL ANY OLDER.

I WAS ABLE TO SEE THE MAJORITY OF CONFERENCE ALTHOUGH I MISSED SEVERAL PARTS. BUT THE TALKS I WAS ABLE TO PAY ATTENTION TO WERE GOOD, AND I WILL LIKE TO RECEIVE THE REST IN THE WRITTEN FORM IN A LITTLE WHILE.

THANKS FOR ALL, LOVE YOU!
ELDER HOOKE

3-26-12 Planting Seeds

THIS LAST WEEK WAS ROUGH, BUT BETTER THAN THE WEEK BEFORE. WE ARE A LITTLE MORE HOPEFUL IN THE AREA AT LEAST. SATURDAY NIGHT WE PLANNED AN ACTIVITY OF INTEGRATION WITH, INSTEAD OF A BUNCH OF USELESS GAMES AND A TINY MESSAGE, A FIRESIDE TYPE OF THING WITH A SPEAKER FROM THE STAKE PRESIDENCY. NOT TOO MANY OF THE MEMBERS IN GAIBU WENT, PROBABLY LIKE 12 OR SO, AND SEVERAL MEMBERS FROM CABO, BUT THE MESSAGE WAS REALLY COOL, AND IT HELPED THE MEMBERS OF THE GROUP TO FEEL MORE UNITED AND MORE HOPEFUL TO GROW THE GROUP. I PLAYED THE GUITAR TO ACCOMPANY THE HYMNS WE SANG, WHICH WAS FUN. THEN WE ATE A BUNCH OF BAHIAN FOOD.

 

WE ARE NOT TEACHING VERY MUCH, BUT I THINK I CAN DEFINITELY SAY THAT WE ARE PLANTING LOTS OF SEEDS.

 

SOME PEOPLE HAVE ASKED FOR YOU GUYS TO BRING RANDOM THINGS FROM THE U.S. THAT THEY DON'T HAVE HERE:

DARTS FOR A NERF GUN, N-STRIKE MAVERICK

MY COMP WANTS A BIGGER STYLE BACKPACK WITH A CAMELBAK, AND WILL PAY FOR IT

BASKETBALL SHORTS

LITTLE YOUNG WOMEN VALUES BRACELETS

THAT'S ALL FOR NOW.

[Jon's Dad was in the hospital with what turned out to be nothing serious]

WOW THAT SOUNDS LIKE A PRETTY BIG ADVENTURE. I GUESS DAD IS GETTING OLD! THAT IS GREAT THAT THE BISHOP WENT AND GAVE HIM A BLESSING. DID OTHER PEOPLE FROM THE WARD VISIT HIM? GLAD TO HEAR THAT HE IS ALL BETTER NOW AND THERE ARE NO PERMANENT PROBLEMS. I WILL PRAY FOR HIS HEALTH.

 

 I'VE BEEN PUMPIN SOME IRON HERE IN THE MORNING EXERCISE TIME, SO I SHOULDN'T BE TOO FAR BEHIND HAHA

 

SATURDAY NIGHT WE WERE ABLE TO DO THE ACTIVITY IN THE SCHOOL, BECAUSE LAST WEEK THE SCHOOL RECEIVED 18 BIG WALL FANS AND NEEDED THEM INSTALLED BUT DIDN'T HAVE MONEY, SO ME AND MY COMP AND ABOUT 5 MEN FROM THE CABO WARD WENT THERE TO INSTALL THEM. AND WHEN WE ASKED TO USE THE SCHOOL SATURDAY NIGHT THE PRINCIPAL DIDN'T EVEN HESITATE.

 

Here is a little quote from a talk by Elder Eyring that I thought was very good, although I hope you are no longer as discouraged as you were last week...

"For those who are discouraged by their circumstances and are therefore tempted to feel they cannot serve the Lord this day, I make you two promises. Hard as things seem today, they will be better in the next day if you choose to serve the Lord this day with your whole heart. Your circumstances may not be improved in all the ways which you desire. But you will have been given new strength to carry your burdens and new confidence that when your burdens become too heavy, the Lord, whom you have served, will carry what you cannot. He knows how. He prepared long ago. He suffered your infirmities and your sorrows when He was in the flesh so that He would know how to succor you.

The other promise I make to you is that by choosing to serve Him this day, you will feel His love and grow to love Him more.

By serving Him this day, you will come to know Him better. You will feel His love and appreciation. You would not want to delay receiving that blessing. And feeling His love will draw you back to His service, wiping away both complacency and discouragement."

THANKS FOR THE QUOTE. THOSE ARE WORTHY PROMISES, THAT MAY NOT MEAN THAT I WILL BAPTIZE HUNDREDS, BUT AT LEAST THE LORD WILL BE WITH ME.

 

ALRIGHT THANKS LOVE YOU ALL!

ELDER HOOKE

3-19-12 Discouraged

HELLO FAMILY

THIS WEEK WAS REALLY DISCOURAGING. DONT HAVE MUCH TO SAY ABOUT IT.

THERE WAS AN APOSTLE (I FORGOT WHO) WHO SAID THAT WE ARE FISHERS OF MEN, AND THAT WE HAVE TO HAVE OUR LINE IN THE WATER THE MOMENT WE LEAVE OUR HOUSE UNTIL THE MOMENT WE GET HOME AT NIGHT, RATHER THAN ONLY DURING APPOINTMENTS. THIS IS TRUE AND WE ARE DOING CONTACTS, BUT IT IS DISCOURAGING DOING CONTACTS HERE BECAUSE LITERALLY EVERY BAPTISM IN THIS GROUP SINCE THE START A YEAR AGO THAT WAS A CONTACT, IS NOW INACTIVE. THE ONLY PEOPLE THAT STILL GO WERE REFERRALS.

2 MORE WEEKS HERE. THANKS FOR THE PRAYERS, LOVE YOU ALL TOO!

LOVE

ELDER HOOKE 

3-15-12 Attended theTemple

HELLO FAMILY-

I THINK I'LL BE ABLE TO READ YOUR WHOLE DARN EMAIL TODAY!

 

THIS LAST WEEK WAS TOUGH AS EVER. PRETTY HARD. WE GOT TO GO TO THE TEMPLE YESTERDAY, WHICH BECAME OUR PDAY THIS WEEK. BUT WE DIDN'T EVEN GET BACK FROM THE TEMPLE UNTIL 9:30 SO I COULDN'T USE THE COMPUTER. IT WAS A GOOD TRIP, I THINK IT WAS ONLY MY SECOND TIME DOING A SESSION IN PORTUGUESE. THAT IS ONE MORE PLACE THAT WE'LL HAVE TO GO TOGETHER DURING YOUR VISIT HERE!

 

WE ARE HAVING A HARD TIME USING OUR TIME WISELY. I FEEL LIKE WE WALK HOURS AND HOURS EVERYDAY TO GET TO PEOPLE'S HOUSES THAT AREN'T HOME OR THAT FORGOT ABOUT THE VISIT MARKED AND CAN'T ATTEND US WHEN WE GET THERE. DON'T REALLY HAVE ANY SPECIFICS TO TELL ABOUT TODAY UNFORTUNATELY.... 

 

I AM FINISHING UP JESUS THE CHRIST NOW. I AM ON PAGE 750 ABOUT CHRIST'S POST CRUCIFIXION VISIT IN AMERICA. IT IS A REALLY GOOD BOOK. I FOUND OUT LAST NIGHT THAT THE BOOK OF MORMON REALLY [TOOK PLACE IN] THE CENTRAL AMERICA AND UPPER SOUTH AMERICA REGION, BECAUSE JAMES TALMAGE STATES IT AS FACT. UNTIL LAST NIGHT I THOUGHT THAT WAS JUST SOMETHING THAT LOTS OF MEMBERS THOUGHT BUT THAT IT WASN'T OFFICIAL.

 THANKS!

TCHAU

ELDER HOOKE

3-5-12 Baptism of Pedro

3-5-12
HELLO GOOD AFTERNOON MY FAMILY!

THIS LAST WEEK WAS A GOOD ONE,, I FELT LIKE WE RECEIVED SEVERAL TENDER MERCIES. THE HARDEST PART NOW IS THE ONLY PART THAT WE CAN'T CHANGE, AND THAT EVEN GOD CAN'T CHANGE--- PEOPLE'S FREEDOM TO CHOOSE THE WRONG.

I GUESS ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK WAS THAT I BAPTIZED A 14 YEAR OLD YOUNG MAN CALLED PEDRO ON SATURDAY. HE WAS TAUGHT BY ELDER LEDEMA AND ELDER NEU, BUT I MET HIM A LONG TIME A GO AS WELL, LONG BEFORE HE WAS TAUGHT, AND EVERY TIME I SAW HIM AT CHURCH OR ANYTHING I ALWAYS TALK WITH HIM, AND SO HE ASKED ME IF I COULD BAPTIZE HIM! HE BORE HIS TESTIMONY ON SUNDAY AS WELL AND SAID THAT THE BAPTISM WAS PROBABLY THE BEST DECISION HE HAS MADE IN HIS LIFE UNTIL NOW. I WAS NOT ABLE TO BE THERE FOR HIS TESTIMONY BECAUSE I WAS HERE IN GAIBU AT OUR MEETING, WHICH ALSO WENT PRETTY WELL. 

 

WE DON'T HAVE ANYONE VERY CLOSE TO BAPTISM RIGHT NOW BUT WE HAVE SEVERAL PEOPLE WITH LOTS OF POTENTIAL. ANTONIO JUNIOR WORKED ON SUNDAY. PAULA (THE MOTHER OF ANOTHER FAMILY WE ARE TEACHING) WAS AT CHURCH WITH HER KIDS AND LOVED IT, BUT HER HUSBAND ORLANDO STILL HASN'T BEEN ABLE TO GO (HE WAS OUT OF TOWN) ALTHOUGH HE WANTS TO. ANOTHER GUY, ALDAIR, THAT WE HAD GIVEN UP ON ABOUT A MONTH AGO BECAUSE HE NEVER WENT TO CHURCH, WENT YESTERDAY WITH HIS WIFE, WHO IS LESS ACTIVE, IN GAIBU AND WAS VERY WELL RECEIVED. WE HAD PASSED DURING THE WEEK AND WE EXPLAINED TO HIM CLEARLY WHY WE HAD STOPPED VISITING HIM AND LEFT A PRETTY BOLD MESSAGE INVITING HIM TO MAKE A DECISION TO MOVE HIS LIFE. 

 

LOVE YOU TOO TCHAU

ELDER HOOKE

2-27-12 Carnaval is OVER!!

2-27-12
THANK GOODNESS CARNAVAL ENDED WEDNESDAY. IT WAS TOUGH AND WE LITERALLY DIDN'T GET ANY LESSONS TAUGHT ON MONDAY OR TUESDAY (EVEN WORKING THE WHOLE DAY) BUT THE REST OF THE WEEK WENT WELL.

THIS WEEK WE DECIDED THAT FOR SEVERAL OF OUR INVESTIGATORS WE NEEDED TO FOCUS ON REPENTANCE. MANY OF OUR INVESTIGATORS DIDN'T REALIZE THAT THEY NEEDED TO CHANGE ANYTHING OR THAT THEIR LIVES REALLY WEREN'T IN HARMONY WITH GOD'S WILL. WE HAD SEVERAL GOOD LESSONS IN WHICH WE HELPED PEOPLE TO RECOGNIZE THEIR OWN SINS. IT WAS GOOD BUT STILL NOT MUCH PROGRESS IN THE AREA AS A WHOLE. THE ONLY INVESTIGATORS AT CHURCH WERE CHILDREN... REALLY ANNOYING... WHY ARE CHILDREN SO MUCH MORE ACCEPTING AND EASY TO KEEP COMMITMENTS? I GUESS THAT IS WHY THE SAVIOR SAID WE NEED TO BE LIKE THE CHILDREN.

ANYWAYS WE HAD A GOOD LESSON WITH ANTONIO JUNIOR AND HIS WIFE ABOUT MARRIAGE, WHICH ANTONIO IMMEDIATELY ACCEPTED. ANTONIO HAD TO WORK ON SUNDAY BUT HE TOOK HIS 2 KIDS EMILLY (11) AND JUNINHO(10) TO CHURCH AGAIN, WHICH WAS COOL.  THERE IS SOMETHING WE ARE DOING WRONG, SOMETHING WE NEED TO CHANGE TO HAVE MORE RESULTS. I JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT SOMETHING IS!!!!!!!


LOVE YOU TOO, THANKS FOR EVERYTHING]
LOVE ELDER HOOKE

2-20-12 Carnaval, not much work

HELLO FAMILY!

I DID NOT GET TRANSFERRED, I WILL STAY IN GAIBU WITH ELDER CASUCCIO.

IT IS CARNAVAL RIGHT NOW, WHICH MEANS THAT ALMOST NOTHING GETS DONE IN THE LORD'S WORK. WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY INVESTIGATORS AT CHURCH (ALTHOUGH SOME LESS ACTIVES THAT WE ARE WORKING WITH WENT AND THAT WAS COOL...). THIS WEEK WAS PRETTY UNEVENTFUL THOUGH.

[Jon did write some other comments to the family, but this is all the news for today!]

ALRIGHT THANKS FOR ALWAYS SENDING A NICE EMAIL.

SORRY I DON'T HAVE TOO MUCH TO SAY TODAY (OR TOO MUCH TIME TO THINK OF OTHER THINGS TO SAY....)

LOVE YOU ALL,
ELDER HOOKE

2-13-12 "Decent" week:)

2-13-12

HELLO HOOKE FAMILY!

THIS WEEK WASN'T HIGHLY EVENTFUL, BUT IT WAS PRETTY DECENT I GUESS. THE CHURCH MEETING FOR EVERYONE WAS IN CABO, SO PLEASE PRAY THAT WE CAN FIND A PLACE TO CONTINUE THE GAIBU GROUP!

UNFORTUNATELY WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY BAPTISMS (NOT IN THE ENTIRE ZONE), AND WE DON'T HAVE ANY DATES MARKED RIGHT NOW, BUT WE DO HAVE SOME GOOD SIGNS OF FUTURE SUCCESS. ANTONIO JUNIOR, A BUS DRIVER, ASKED ELDER LEDEMA FOR A BOOK OF MORMON ABOUT 3 MONTHS AGO IN THE STREET. THE ONE TIME ELDER LEDEMA WAS ABLE TO TALK TO HIM WAS WHEN I WAS ON A DIVISION THERE IN CABO (WE WERE NOT WORKING IN CABO AT THE TIME), AND WE GAVE HIM A BOOK OF MORMON AND TAUGHT ABOUT IT. TURNS OUT HIS SISTER IS A STRONG MEMBER AND HIS BROTHER IN LAW IS STAKE PRESIDENT OR SOMETHING IN RIO GRANDE DO NORTE, BUT ANYWAYS WE STARTED WORKING IN CABO AND PASSED BY ANTONIO JUNIOR'S HOUSE MANY MANY TIMES BUT NEVER FOUND HIM AT HOME SO WE PRETTY MUCH GAVE UP. THEN LAST SUNDAY, FROM NOWHERE, HE SHOWED UP TO CHURCH AT 9, AND LIKED IT A LOT. WE PASSED BY THIS WEEK AND WERE ABLE TO TEACH HIM WITH HIS 2 KIDS (HIS WIFE ISN'T VERY INTERESTED AND PREFERRED TO KEEP WASHING THE CLOTHES). TURNS OUT HIS SISTER GAVE HIM THE BOOK OF MORMON ON CD AND HE'S IN 2ND NEFI! SO ANYWAYS HE WENT YESTERDAY WITH HIS 2 KIDS AND WE INVITED THEM TO BE BAPTIZED, THEY ACCEPTED, BUT WE DID NOT MARK A DATE BECAUSE, YOU GUESSED IT, HE WILL NEED TO GET MARRIED!!!! ARGG SEMPRE ASSIM.

ANYWAYS THINGS ARE GOING PRETTY WELL HERE, NEXT WEEK IS TRANSFERS AND I MAY OR MAY NOT LEAVE. I IMAGINE THAT I WILL STILL HAVE ONE MORE AREA ON THE MISSION BECAUSE NO ONE ENDS THE MISSION AS ZONE LEADER, SO I WILL HAVE TO BE TRANSFERRED EVENTUALLY.

ALRIGHT. THANKS FOR THE EMAIL AND I HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A GREAT WEEK!!!   LOVE  ELDER HOOKE

2-6-12 Little miracles

THIS WEEK WAS PRETTY GOOD (BESIDES MONDAY NIGHT AND HALF OF TUESDAY WHICH WERE LOST WITH THE BYU APPLICATION STUFF). WE WERE ABLE TO FIND 3 FAMILIES DURING THE WEEK (IN CABO-- NOT IN GAIBU) THAT ALL SEEM PRETTY AWESOME. ONE IS ADEMAR AND MARIA, WHOSE SON IS A MEMBER. ADEMAR USED TO BE THE PREACHER AT THE ASSEMBLY OF GOD AND IS VERY CONVINCED THAT THEIR DOCTRINE IS THE RIGHT ONE, BUT WE HAVE HAD SOME GOOD LESSONS WITH HIM AND HE WENT TO CHURCH ON SUNDAY AND LIKED IT.

WE HAD SEVERAL LITTLE MIRACLES THIS WEEK AS WELL, WHICH I REMEMBERED RIGHT NOW I NEED TO WRITE IN MY JOURNAL. I'LL TELL YOU QUICKLY ABOUT 2 OF THEM. SO WE FOUND OUT SATURDAY MORNING THAT THE SCHOOL HERE IN GAIBU WAS READY FOR US TO HAVE THE MEETING THERE SUNDAY, SO WE SPENT THE WHOLE DAY TELLING EVERYONE WHO WE HAD INVITED TO CHURCH THAT IT WOULD BE IN A DIFFERENT PLACE. ANYWAYS THE THOUGHT PASSED MY MIND THAT WE SHOULD PASS BY THE GUY'S HOUSE WHO HAS THE KEYS TO THE SCHOOL TO TELL HIM, BECAUSE HE GOT HIS PHONE STOLEN AND NO ONE HAD TOLD HIM. SO WE WENT BY AND HE SAID HE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO GO, BUT THAT ANOTHER MAN HAD THE KEYS TOO SO THERE WAS NO PROBLEM. WE WERE ABOUT TO LEAVE BUT FOR SOME REASON I DECIDED THAT I SHOULD GET THE KEYS FROM HIM ANYWAYS, SO  I ASKED FOR THEM AND  HE GAVE THEM TO ME. THAT AFTERNOON WE DID A DIVISION WIT THE CABO ELDERS SO THAT IN THE MORNING ELDER CASUCCIO COULD BE WITH OUR CABO INVESTIGATORS AT CHURCH AND  I COULD BE WITH THE INVESTIGATORS IN GAIBU. ANYWAYS ME AND ELDER NEU (NEW AMERICAN IN CABO) WENT TO GET SOME PEOPLE TO GO TO CHURCH WITH THEM AND WHEN WE GOT TO THE SCHOOL EVERYONE WAS WAITING OUTSIDE (ABOUT 25 MORE PEOPLE) BECAUSE WE HAD SHOWED UP A LITTLE LATE TO BE ABLE TO TAKE SOME PEOPLE TO CHURCH. ANYWAYS THE OTHER GUY WITH THE KEYS WAS THERE AND HE SAID THAT THE PADLOCK WAS CHANGED AND WE WOULD ALL HAVE TO GO TO CABO. ANYWAYS THE PADLOCK REALLY WAS CHANGED BUT WE DECIDED TO TRY THE KEYS THAT I HAD, AND ONE OF THEM ENDED UP OPENING THE LOCK SOMEHOW!

SO WE ENTERED IN THE SCHOOL AND FOUND IT VERY UNREADY TO HAVE A MEETING (VERY DIRTY, NO FANS, NO OUTLETS TO PUT IN THE FAN OR THE AMPLIFIER FOR SACRAMENT MEETING) . WE CLEANED UP THE CHAIRS IN A FEW ROOMS AND THE SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASSES STARTED, THEN ME AND ELDER NEU, WHO LIKE I SAID IS  NEW HERE, AND BECAUSE HE IS NEW BROUGHT A BUNCH OF USELESS STUFF ON THE DIVISION, WENT TO THE SACRAMENT MEETING ROOM. ELDER NEU ALSO HAPPENS TO KNOW A LOT ABOUT ELECTRONICS AND HE ALSO HAPPENED TO BE WITH HIS PLIERS AND A SCREW DRIVER AND WE WERE ABLE TO TAKE OFF SOME CAPS IN THE WALL AND CUT SOME CORDS AND PLUG IN BOTH THE AMP AND THE FAN, WHICH WE NEVER WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO WITHOUT ELDER NEU, AND THE MEETING WOULD HAVE BEEN MISERABLE WITHOUT THE FAN AND NO ONE WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO HEAR THE TESTIMONIES WITHOUT THE AMP.

SO THAT WAS COOL.

I AM ALREADY RUNNING OUT OF TIME AND I STILL HAVE TO WRITE TO THE PRESIDENT!

1-30-12 BYU-H, BYU...

Jon wasn't able to send a newsy email today because he spent the time filling out his application for BYU-H and BYU in order to meet the Feb 1 deadline!!

1-23-12 Baptism of Yris

1-23-12
HELLO BOM DIA FAMILY!!!

HEY SORRY FOR NOT WRITING TOO MUCH LAST WEEK, BUT I GUESS YOU DID GET ELDER CASUCCIO'S PICTURES?  ME AND ELDER CASUCCIO TAKE TURNS EVERY WEEK AS ZONE LEADERS, DOING THE REPORT ABOUT THE ZONE AND SENDING ALL THE NUMBERS TO THE PRESIDENT, WHICH SOMETIMES TAKES A LONG TIME. AND WE STILL ONLY HAVE 1 HOUR ON THE EMAIL....

SO ANYWAYS THIS WEEK WAS TOUGH, BUT IT ENDED WELL AS I WAS ABLE TO BAPTIZE YRIS (WITH A Y) ON SUNDAY. SHE IS EXTREMELY SHY, SO WHEN WE TEACH HER SHE IS ALWAYS EMBARRASSED TO ANSWER QUESTIONS, SO WE HAD THE IDEA TO LEAVE QUESTIONS FOR HER ABOUT WHAT SHE WAS LEARNING ABOUT THE GOSPEL AND WRITE ANSWERS, WHICH SHE DID, AND VERY WELL! SHE WILL BE A STRONG LITTLE MEMBER, AND HER MOM HAS A TESTIMONY SO IT WILL BE GOOD FOR HER TO BE ABLE TO LEARN WITH HER MOM. 

 

DIOGO IS DOING WELL AND WENT TO THE CHURCH FOR ACTIVITIES ALMOST EVERY DAY LAST WEEK EXCEPT FOR SUNDAY, SO HE STILL WAS NOT CONFIRMED.

 

WE HAVE A COUPLE NEW PEOPLE WE ARE TEACHING, ONE IS THAT GUY RENATO (18)  WHO WENT TO CHURCH WITH ANANDA LAST WEEK. WE TAUGHT HIM AND HIS GRANDMA THE RESTORATION AND THE LESSON WAS VERY SPIRITUAL AND HE STARTED CRYING AS HE GAVE THE CLOSING PRAYER.  FOR SOME REASON HE WASN'T AT CHURCH THOUGH, WE´LL GO BY HIS HOUSE TOMORROW. 

 

WOW THAT SOUNDS LIKE AN EVENTFUL WEEK! A GOOD FUNERAL TOO- MORE OF A CELEBRATION OF HIS LIFE THAN A MOURNING OF HIS DEATH.

EVERYONE HERE IS ON SUMMER BREAK SO SOMETIMES I FORGET THAT JANUARY IS NOT SUMMER BREAK THERE.

THANKS, SEND HIM [Grandpa] MY BEST REGARDS AS WELL (WEIRD SAYING- WHAT ARE REGARDS?)  ONE TIME I WAS WALKING ON THE STREET HERE AND A DRUNK BRITISH MAN NAMED HUGO YELLED IN A THICK BRITISH ACCENT, WHICH WAS EXTREMELY STRANGE (BECAUSE HEARING ENGLISH IS ALREADY STRANGE) "HEY! YOU! SEND MY REGARDS TO AMERICA!"   HAHA   THAT WAS IN SAN MARTIN.

THANK YOU I LOVE YOU ALL TOO IN OREM AND PROVO AND VENTURA AND WALNUT AND BOISE AND PARK CITY AND CEDAR CITY AND INDIANA AND ANYWHERE ELSE THAT I MAY BE FORGETTING WHERE MY RELATIVES LIVE!
LOVE

ELDER HOOKE

 

1-16-12 Diogo's baptism

SO I DON'T HAVE TOO MUCH TIME TODAY SORRY...

BUT GOOD MORNING FAMILY AND YES DIOGO WAS BAPTIZED! IT WAS ACTUALLY A GREAT BAPTISM AND I HAVE HOPES THAT HE CAN STAY STRONG IN THE CHURCH! HE IS ONE OF 3 YOUNG MEN IN THE GAIBU GROUP.

WE ENDED UP STAYING IN GAIBU, BUT WE WILL WORK EVERY OTHER DAY IN CABO, WHICH WE HAVE BEEN DOING THIS WEEK AND IS GOING WELL.

WE WILL HAVE ANOTHER BAPTISM THIS WEEKEND OF IRIS, AN 11 YR OLD GIRL. HER MOM IS ONE OF THE ONLY STRONG RECENT CONVERTS, SHE IS REALLY SPECIAL AND HER CALLING IS TO ARRANGE OUR LUNCH CALENDAR. HER DAUGHTER DIDN'T LIVE WITH HER BEFORE BUT NOW SHE DOES AND WE ARE TEACHING HER, SHE READ AND PRAYED AND GOT AN ANSWER, WENT TO CHURCH YESTERDAY WITH HER MOM, SO WE MARKED HER BAPTISM FOR NEXT SUNDAY AFTER CHURCH!

I'LL HAVE TO READ THE EVENTS THAT YOU WROTE OF THIS WEEK WHEN I COME TO THE LANHOUSE AGAIN NEXT WEEK, SORRY! BUT I HOPE YOU GOT A FORWARDED EMAIL FROM MY COMP WITH A BUNCH OF PHOTOS!

LOVE

ELDER HOOKE

1-9-12 Moving to Cabo?

HELLO FAMILY,

SO I STILL LIVE IN GAIBU BUT PRESIDENT LANIUS CALLED US THE OTHER DAY AND TOLD US TO MOVE TO CABO. SO TODAY OR TOMORROW WE WILL BE RENTING A SLUG BUS TO MOVE OUR BEDS AND STUFF TO CABO, WHERE WE WILL SERVE THIS TRANSFER. WE WILL KEEP WORKING WITH A FEW PEOPLE HERE IN GAIBU, BUT WE WILL BE PRINCIPALLY IN CABO, SHARING THE WARD WITH ELDER LEDEMA AND HIS NEW COMP (IDK WHO, TODAY WAS TRANSFERS). WE WILL KEEP WORKING WITH A FEW PEOPLE, LIKE NETE (WHO HAD A BAPTISMAL DATE BUT IT DIDNT HAPPEN, SHE WAS AT CHURCH AGAIN YESTERDAY) AND A 12 YR OLD SON (DIOGO) OF A LESS ACTIVE MEMBER WHO WE HAVE BEEN TEACHING ALMOST EVERY DAY AND WILL PROBABLY BE BAPTIZED THIS NEXT SUNDAY AFTER CHURCH. HE IS A COOL KID AND LIKES HANGIN OUT WITH THE ELDERS A LOT.

WE WERE PRAYING TO KNOW IF WE SHOULD STAY IN GAIBU AND WONDERING IF IT WAS WORTH IT FOR US TO STAY THERE. THE MEMBERS OF THE GROUP ARE GONNA TRY TO GET THE STAKE PRESIDENT TO AUTHORIZE THEM TO RENT A HOUSE TO HOLD THE CHURCH MEETINGS IN, AND IF THEY ARE ABLE TO DO THAT, MISSIONARIES [WILL BE ABLE TO BE IN] GAIBU.

THIS WEEK WAS COOL CUZ WE TRAVELED 3 TIMES. WE WENT TO PALMARES TUESDAY AND SPENT THE WHOLE DAY THERE WORKING WITH THE DUPLA THERE. WE HAD A COOL EXPERIENCE KNOCKING ON DOORS- WE KNOCKED ON THE DOOR OF A WOMAN WHO HAS DEPRESSION AND SHE ANSWERED THE DOOR IMMEDIATELY AND SAID THAT SHE HAD AT THAT INSTANT BEEN KNEELING DOWN ON THE FLOOR BEGGING HEAVENLY FATHER FOR HELP. 

WEDNESDAY WE WENT TO CATENDE AND FOUND AND TAUGHT LIKE 13 NEW INVESTIGATORS JUST THAT AFTERNOON, WHICH WAS REALLY A MIRACLE BECAUSE THEY ONLY HAD ABOUT 10 INVESTIGATORS BEFORE WEDNESDAY. 

FRIDAY WE WENT TO PONTE DOS CARVALHOS AND I HAD A PRETTY GOOD AFTERNOON OF WORK THERE AS WELL. I WAS ABLE TO TALK TO THE FAMILY OF JAILSON, WHO I BAPTIZED THERE, AND FOUND OUT THAT HE STAYED ACTIVE FOR A FEW MONTHS AND EVEN RECEIVED THE MELCHISEDEK PRIESTHOOD, BUT THEN STOPPED GOING. 

SATURDAY NIGHT WE ATE AT A PIZZA BUFFET WITH A YOUNG MAN FROM CABO, JOSÉ, FOR HIS 18TH BIRTHDAY DINNER. HE HELPS US A TON IN THE MISSIONARY WORK, AND HE GOES OUT AND TEACHES WITH US A LOT. HE ALSO WENT WITH US TO THE WATERFALL, AND LAST P DAY TO AN OLD STONE BEACH FORTRESS THAT WE WENT TO. I'LL HAVE TO SEND PICTURES OF THAT TRIP TOO.

THANK YOU LOVE YOU ALL AND HAVE A GREAT WEEK TO YOU TOO!

LOVE

ELDER HOOKE 

1-2-12 Happy New Year!

HELLO GOOD MORNING FAMILY! 

NEW YEARS WAS A VERY MISERABLE BUT FUN NIGHT. WE WENT TO A HOUSE ON THE PRAIA DE SUAPE AND STAYED A WHILE AT ANANDA'S (FROM PONTE DOS CARVALHOS) GRANDPARENT´S HOUSE WITH ANANDA AND HER FAM AND ALSO THE MISSIONARIES FROM PONTE DOS CARVALHOS, ELDER SCARIOT AND ELDER SKOUSEN. BUT AS MISSIONARIES WE HAD TO BE HOME AT 9:30... SO WE WENT HOME (WITH THE PONTE ELDERS TO OUR HOUSE) BUT THE LANDLORD AT OUR HOUSE WAS THROWING A BIG PARTY WITH LOUD MUSIC THAT STAYED ON UNTIL 6AM SUNDAY. SO WE PLAYED MONOPOLY THE MAJORITY OF THE NIGHT AFTER A FEW FAILED ATTEMPTS TO SLEEP. NEW YEARS DAY WAS AWFUL. ALMOST NO ONE WENT TO CHURCH AND 0 OUT THE 8 INVESTIGATORS WHO PROMISED THAT THEY WOULD BE THERE WENT. THEN THE WHOLE AFTERNOON THERE WAS NOT A LIVING SOUL WITHOUT A BEER IN HAND SO WE JUST STAYED HOME AND MOPED HAHA NOT REALLY BUT WE REALLY DIDN'T GET ANY WORK DONE.  NEXT WEEK IS TRANSFERS AND WE MIGHT CLOSE THE AREA. SEVERAL OF THE MEMBERS OF THE GROUP HERE WOULD LIKE TO GO TO THE CABO WARD ANYWAYS, AND I DON'T THINK ANY OF THE MEMBERS HAVE THE IDEA OF TURNING THE GROUP INTO A BRANCH OR WARD. TO THEM IT IS JUST A PLACE TO GO ON SUNDAY THAT IS A LITTLE CLOSER THAN THE CHAPEL IN CABO.

YESTERDAY WE ATE LUNCH WITH A MEMBER FAMILY AND ELDER LARSEN (CABO MISSIONARY) AND HIS EYE IS WAY BETTER ALTHOUGH IT IS STILL RED AND HAS A SCAR ON IT. HIS VISION IN THAT EYE IS COMING BACK. HE BORE HIS TESTIMONY AFTER LUNCH ABOUT THE POWER OF THE PRIESTHOOD.

WELL HAVE A GOOD WEEK
LOVE ELDER HOOKE