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