10-25-10 Family of João Pedro, gecko, and a big green & blue lizard

Dear family,

Thanks for sending the package. Elder Wells has been waiting for a package for over 2 months from his dad, so I don't know about 3-5 days!  But it would be cool...

Elder Dallin H Oaks came to our mission Saturday and gave us a nice talk on revelation. It was much less interactive than with Elder Bednar, but it was still cool to hear from an Apostle. And something interesting is that a Brazilian was answering a question Elder Oaks asked using his (Portuguese) "Preach my Gospel", and Elder Oaks wanted an English one. So I brought mine up because there weren't many people who brought them, and gave it to him, and in my very own "Preach my Gospel",  an Apostle read his own quote. Haha so that was cool. Elder Scott Grow gave us a talk too, on repentance. He made sure we knew that it was not just for our investigators, but for us as well. I liked that because lots of missionaries here need that, including me. This mission in general needs to become way more obedient.

We weren't able to teach the 2 girls this week, which is frustrating. They are in a bad family situation but hopefully will soon move in with their uncle (the bishop).

We had some miracles with this other family that we found though, the fam of Cassia and João Pedro. Cassia's mom, Teresa, really loved our message and has had about 80 years of life as a strong Catholic. She doesn't go anymore to church because of health, but she used to teach Sunday school and stuff. So from the first time we arrived, she said she felt really good, spiritually, and surprisingly, physically too. So in the days after that, she healed a lot and is able to "practically play futbol again" better than she has in years. She saw this as a sign that she needed to act on it and go to church. So yesterday she came with João Pedro, and loved it! She literally said she's in love with this church now. And our investigator class was all about baptism, and the teacher, Leo (awesome guy-the bishops bro and counselor), had been baptized Catholic in his childhood, too, and was able to very plainly explain a true baptism for Teresa. She understood and said "Mauro (my husband) is going to be so surprised when he finds out I'm joining another church!" So all that lacks is a date for baptism. Oh and did I mention she's mostly blind. I guess that's not too important.

We are also teaching a 17-yr-old rapaz [youth], Adlan, who we tentatively committed to baptism next Sunday. We are all 3 going to fast and pray during this week, and if he feels a confirmation of the truth of these things he'll be baptized (he already received a pretty crazy answer to his prayers about it.) He's really smart though and has read bad stuff about our church and is the kinda guy who looks for proofs, not trust instinct. We have a lot in common and I think that has helped him a lot.

The companionship is going well. We joke around a lot and he's got a great sense of humor, and we also work hard. We spend time and will start spending more every day doing work just to help the ward grow stronger, not just baptize. The ward needs all the help and prayers it can get. I feel really sorry for the bishop and his family because they basically run the ward, and anything they delegate doesn't usually get done. And the bishop is only 28 with 2 little kids, and no money or car or anything.

So this morning we went to this place called the ceaza to buy tons of different fruits (we got 13 different kinds). The cool part of this story though is on the way to the ceaza we walked through this field and I saw a huge green lizard running through the bushes. We chased it around (in p-day clothes, don't worry) and I caught it! I need to send you the pictures because it is beautiful and huge--like between 2 and 3 feet long!  I think it is some kind of monitor, and it had bright

blue and green all over it, and a forked tongue that it flicked out. The most amazing animal I ever caught. And on our way back, I saw another one, even bigger, but it ran away somewhere. And then I caught another one. They are awesome. I bet they'd sell for a ton at the pet store in Ventura. I released them though already, because it says in the missionary handbook not to keep pets of any kind. It's a shame, cuz there's some really cute kittens here, and I caught a yellow bird the other day. And there's dogs all over the streets, and some we see every day. One is named Steve and one is named Tiger Woods.

Were hoping to have several baptisms in the coming 2 weeks! So keep praying for our investigators, and thanks for the prayers already! Have a good week!

Love, Elder Hooke (and friend :)   (See more pics below)

10-18-10 Working Hard in São Martins

THE WEEK HAS BEEN VERY VERY LONG! MY COMP ELDER WELLS IS A VERY HARD WORKER, AND WE ALSO GET ALONG WELL. THIS IS A TOUGH AREA THAT WE'RE IN, AND LAST TRANSFER WAS THE FIRST TRANSFER IN HIS MISSION THAT HE DIDN'T BAPTIZE (13 MONTHS IN).  WHEN WE GET HOME AT NIGHT WE PLAN, EAT, AND GO STRAIGHT TO BED. AND I'VE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO FALL ASLEEP FAST, BUT NOW I CAN FALL ASLEEP IN LIKE 30 SECONDS. IN FACT I FELL ASLEEP FOR A MINUTE IN WARD COUNCIL YESTERDAY. OUR BISHOPRIC IS AWESOME HERE, THEY ARE ALL UNDER 30 YRS OLD AND RECENTLY RETURNED MISSIONARIES. THE DOWNSIDE THOUGH IS THE WARD WAS NOT BEING RUN WELL BEFORE (NOTHING IS ORGANIZED), SO WE ARE SPENDING A LOT OF TIME HELPING THEM OUT WITH MAKING THE WARD FUNCTION LIKE A WARD SHOULD. WE ARE TRYING TO WORK WITH MEMBERS OF THE WARD TO FIND PEOPLE TO TEACH, BUT SO FAR THE ONLY SUCCESS WE'VE SEEN OUT OF THAT WAS THE BISHOP'S NIECES (LIANDRA, 11, AND MAYARA, 10) WHO  HAVE BEEN GOING TO CHURCH FOR YEARS WITH HIS FAMILY, BUT ARE NOT BAPTIZED. SO WE STARTED TEACHING THEM AND WE WILL PROBABLY SET A BAP-DATE WITH THEM FOR A WEEK FROM SATURDAY.  WE HAVE A TRANSFER GOAL OF CONTACTING 10 MEN EVERY DAY (FINDING, TEACHING, AND BAPTIZING ADULT MEN IS VERY IMPORTANT IN THIS MISSION, AND ALSO MUCH MORE DIFFICULT).

Jon and "Friar Tuck"

 SO FAR WE'RE ON TRACK, AND IN SACRAMENT MEETING, WE BOTH GAVE TALKS ABOUT MEMBER MISSIONARY WORK. (BTW, I HAD LIKE A HALF HOUR NOTICE BEFORE SACRAMENT MEETING STARTED!) MY TALK WAS SIMPLE AND I QUOTED AN ELDER BEDNAR TALK CALLED "ASK IN FAITH." HE SAID THAT IT IS THE MEMBERS' RESPONSIBILITY TO FIND, AND IDEALLY THE MISSIONARIES SHOULD BE FULL TIME TEACHERS. SO ELDER WELLS, IN HIS TALK, WAS ABLE TO TALK ABOUT HOW WE CONTACTED AND INVITED OVER 50 MEN TO CHURCH THIS WEEK, AND NOT A SINGLE ONE WAS AT CHURCH. HE DID A REALLY GOOD JOB HELPING THEM TO REALIZE THEIR RESPONSIBILITY, SO HOPEFULLY WE'LL BE ABLE TO BE MORE SUCCESSFUL WITH THE HELP OF THE WARD.

ONE COOL STORY IS ON WEDNESDAY WE WERE TALKING TO THIS RICH MAN (HE EVEN HAD A CAR!) AND WE OFFERED TO PUSH HIS CAR TO BUMP START IT. WE PUSHED AND PUSHED BUT IT WOULDN'T START, THEN THIS 12 YEAR OLD KID CAME OVER AND RIGHT AFTER WE STOPPED, HE PUSHED IT A LITTLE FURTHER AND IT STARTED. WE DON'T USUALLY CONTACT KIDS, BUT WE STARTED TALKING TO THIS KID AND SET UP A TIME TO COME BACK AND TALK WITH HIS FAMILY. WHEN WE RETURNED, JOÃO PEDRO (THE KID)'S MOM AND GRANDMA WERE BOTH SUPER HAPPY TO SEE US AND REALLY WERE INTERESTED IN OUR MESSAGE. HIS MOM, CASSIA, SAID THAT SHE HAD BEEN PRAYING THE LAST FEW DAYS FOR SOMETHING TO HELP JOÃO PEDRO (APPARENTLY HE'S STARTING TO BE REBELLIOUS), AND SHE BELIEVES THAT WE ARE THE ANSWER TO THAT PRAYER! THEY WEREN'T ABLE TO MAKE IT TO CHURCH, BUT WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO TEACHING THEM AGAIN.

IT'S HOTTER HERE THAN IT WAS IN GARANHUNS, AND EVEN LOUDER AND MORE CHAOTIC. IT'S STILL NOT AS HOT AS SOME ALABAMA DAYS.  TOO BAD WE CAN'T SHARE SOME OF OUR HOT SUNSHINE HERE WITH YOU GUYS. I'D BE DOWN WITH THAT. 

THE FOOD IS ALL THE SAME, BUT I LIKE IT SO IT'S ALL GOOD. SMOOTHIES ARE REALLY CHEAP HERE SO WE GET THEM LIKE EVERY DAY. LIKE AROUND 90 US CENTS FOR A JAMBA JUICE TYPE SMOOTHIE BUT BETTER AND WITH WEIRD FRUITS. I'M ABLE TO UNDERSTAND THE LANGUAGE BETTER, AND I USUALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT, ALTHOUGH KNOWING EXACTLY WHAT THEY'RE SAYING--NOT QUITE.

THANK YOU GUYS AND GOOD LUCK WITH EVERYTHING! 

10-11-10 New Area: San Martins; New Companion: Elder Wells

Elder Jonathan Hooke
Brazil Recife Mission
Rua São Francisco 110  Sala 102
52010-020  Paissandu -- Recife -- PE
BRAZIL

HELLO FAMILY, THE LAST WEEK WAS CHALLENGING, BUT IT ENDED WELL. WE DID GET TO SEE THE SILVA'S MARRIAGE AND BAPTISM. THURSDAY, MARCOS AND LURDINHA WERE MARRIED CIVILLY IN THE COURT ALONG WITH SOME OTHER COUPLES. IT WAS FUNNY BECAUSE DURING THE MARRIAGE CEREMONY (THE JUDGE WAS TALKING ABOUT WHAT MARRIAGE IS), MARCOS' CELL PHONE RANG IN HIS POCKET. AND HE STEPPED OUT OF THE CIRCLE TO ANSWER IT! HAHA AND I GUESS HE JUST SAID, "HOLD ON CAN I CALL YOU BACK? I'M IN THE MIDDLE OF MY OWN MARRIAGE CEREMONY OK? BYE". ANYWAYS THEN THURSDAY NIGHT WE WENT TO A PIZZA PLACE WITH THEM. THE "AMERICAN STYLE" PIZZA HAS NO TOMATO SAUCE AND EGGS AND SHREDDED HAM. HAHA NOT AMERICAN, BUT IT WAS GOOD. AND THEN SATURDAY WE HAD A MARRIAGE FESTA/BAPTISM!

E. DE SOUZA BAPTIZED LURDINHA AND I BAPTIZED MARCOS. IT WAS AN AWESOME EXPERIENCE AND THEY ARE VERY HAPPY WITH THE STEPS THEY'RE MAKING IN LIFE. YESTERDAY MARCOS BORE HIS TESTIMONY IN SACRAMENT MEETING, ALONG WITH THE 2 OLDER KIDS IN THE FAMILY, AND IT WAS VERY POWERFUL.  AND YEAH AT THE BAPTISM, MANY FRIENDS, FAMILY, AND NEIGHBORS ATTENDED. PROBABLY LIKE 20!

THINGS WERE STILL ROUGH FOR THE LAST WEEK, BUT ON WEDNESDAY WE HAD INTERVIEWS WITH THE PRESIDENT (WHICH WAS VERY LUCKY BECAUSE THEY ONLY HAPPEN ONCE EVERY 3 MONTHS GENERALLY).  I GOT TRANSFERRED TODAY AND NOW I HAVE AN AMERICAN COMPANION, ELDER WELLS, FROM DRAPER UTAH.  I THINK WE'LL BE ABLE TO WORK HARD TOGETHER! WE'VE ONLY BEEN TOGETHER A COUPLE HOURS BUT HE SEEMS LIKE A NICE GUY AND A GOOD MISSIONARY. AND I'VE HEARD HE WORKS HARD. WE ARE SERVING IN HIS AREA, SAN MARTINS, WHICH IS JUST A LITTLE INLAND OF RECIFE. WE LIVE IN A NICE APT (JUST US 2) THAT IS RIGHT NEXT DOOR TO OUR CHAPEL, AND THE BUS DRIVES RIGHT BY OUR FRONT DOOR TOO, SO IT'S PERFECT LOCATION. I DON'T REALLY KNOW MORE ABOUT THE AREA YET.

Jon & Elder Wells...they had contacted a man at a fair, and he let them ride the Ferris wheel

Well, just tell us what's going on in Garanhuns NOT ME! and the Recife Mission TRANSFERS! SEE ABOVE FOR DETAILS. 

Can you tell us what kinds of food you eat for lunch with the members?    IN GARANHUNS WE HAD LUNCH EVERY DAY WITH MEMBERS, USUALLY DIFFERENT ONES MOST OF THE TIME. ALMOST EVERY MEAL IS THE SAME, BUT I LIKE IT A LOT. IT IS RICE, SPAGHETTI NOODLES (NOT WITH SPAGHETTI SAUCE, SOME OTHER BLAND ORANGE SAUCE), BEANS (PINTO OR BLACK), SOME TYPE OF MEAT (CHICKEN USUALLY, BUT I HAD LIVER ALREADY TWICE), CUS CUIS (CORN POWDER STUFF SORTA LIKE CORN MEAL MUSH, PRETTY GOOD STUFF), AND JUICE (PASSION FRUIT, ORANGE, GUAVA, ACAI, ETC) OR GUARANÁ.  YEP PRETTY MUCH EVERY MEAL'S LIKE THIS.   

BYE AND HAVE A GOOD WEEK!

LOVE ELDER HOOKE

10-4-10 Silva Family baptism coming up!

[Jon's birthday is coming up in a month!  All cards and letters are welcome!  Here's his address in case you haven't found it yet down at the bottom of this page :)

Elder Jonathan Hooke
Brazil Recife Mission
Rua Sao Francisco 110  Sala 102
52010-020 Paissandu  --  Recife -- PE
BRAZIL

[Regarding my offer to send him copies of some general conference talks]:  YEAH I THINK I'D LIKE SOME TALKS BECAUSE I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND ANY OF CONFERENCE. THE CHANNEL THAT USUALLY WORKS SO THAT ANYONE WHO SPEAKS ENGLISH CAN WATCH IN ENGLISH WAS BROKEN, AND SO I SAT THRU EVERY SESSION AND DIDN'T REALLY UNDERSTAND ANYTHING.

JUST SEND MAIL TO THE MISSION OFFICE MY WHOLE MISSION. THANKS. APPARENTLY LETTERS TAKE BETWEEN LIKE 1 AND 3 WEEKS, AND PACKAGES TAKE MORE THAN A MONTH.  [note from Lori: In that case, anyone who wants to send a package to Jon for his birthday should do it today !!  Yikes!!]

MY COMPANION IS ELDER DE SOUZA, FROM SAO PAULO.  I ALSO LIVE WITH ELDER STRICKLAND AND FREIRE, STRICKLAND IS FROM WISCONSIN, AND HE'S COOL.  I'M VERY GLAD TO HAVE ELDER STRICKLAND LIVING THERE BECAUSE WE CAN SPEAK ENGLISH.

OUR INVESTIGATOR FAMILY, THE SILVA'S, WILL BE MARRIED AND BAPTIZED ON SATURDAY. WE GO TO THEIR HOUSE ALMOST EVERY DAY AND THEY ARE AWESOME. THEY ALL LOVE US AND THE LITTLE KIDS LOVE TO HELP ME LEARN TO TALK. AT CONFERENCE YESTERDAY THEY WERE THERE, ALONG WITH ANOTHER FAMILY WHO LIVES NEXT DOOR TO THEM, AND ANOTHER MAN WHO LIVES 2 DOORS DOWN. WE'RE HOPING TO BAPTIZE THE NEIGHBORHOOD.

FOOD IS GOOD, WE HAVE LUNCH WITH MEMBERS EVERY DAY, AND WE USUALLY JUST EAT A SNACK FOR BREAKFAST AND DINNER. LANGUAGE IS COMING, BUT I STILL DON'T UNDERSTAND PEOPLE IF THEY ARE TALKING AT THEIR NORMAL SPEED.

THE WEATHER IS A LOT MORE TEMPERATE IN GARANHUNS THAN MOST OF THE MISSION, AND ALSO A LOT MORE TEMPERATE THAN THE SUMMER IN ALABAMA WAS. LESS HOT, LESS HUMID. IT'S ACTUALLY PRETTY PLEASANT WEATHER FOR THE MOST PART. 

THANKS FOR THE LETTER, LOVE, PRAYERS. I COULD USE THEM. I PRAY FOR YOU GUYS TOO, AND HOPE EVERYTHING CONTINUES TO GO WELL.

LOVE,

ELDER HOOKE

9-27-10 Jon's first real letter from Brazil!

9-27-10
[Jon's comments about his mission president's blog and pictures of Jon on Jon's last day there--if you haven't seen the blog yet, you should!  Click here! Alabama mission blog] 
THANK YOU, I LOOKED AT IT AND READ THROUGH, I'M GLAD TO HEAR THEY DIDN'T MIND HAVING ME THERE TOO MUCH, OR MAYBE THEY JUST WANT YOU TO THINK THAT! YEAH IT WAS SAD TO LEAVE ALABAMA AND ALL THE AWESOME MISSIONARIES AND PEOPLE THERE (BECAUSE MISSIONARIES AREN~T PEOPLE.) :)   [keyboards are different in Brazil! ]

[Jon got to call us while he was in Dallas awaiting for his Brazil flight. He mentioned that one thing Sister Bednar told the missionaries last Saturday was : "Be the missionary your mother thinks you are!" ]

YEAH WHEN I WAS TALKING TO [Tom] ON THE PHONE [in Dallas], [three missionaries] SHOWED UP TO CALL THEIR FAMILIES. I KNEW ONE OF THEM REALLY WELL FROM THE MTC, ELDER PRICE (HE LIVED WITH ME), SO IT WAS REALLY COOL TO BE ABLE TO HEAR ABOUT HIS 2 MONTHS IN TEXAS. AND WE ENDED UP SITTING ON THE PLANE TO SÃO PAULO FOR LIKE 11 HOURS OR MORE SO WE HAD PLENTY OF TIME TO TALK. WE ALSO SAT BY A BRASILIAN AND TALKED TO HIM ABOUT WHAT WE ARE DOING, AND ENDED UP GIVING HIM A BOOK OF MORMON AND REFERRING HIM TO MISSIONARIES IN THE AREA HE GOES TO. SO WHEN WE ARRIVED IN RECIFE (ME AND 2 OTHER ELDERS THAT HAD BEEN WAITING, INCLUDING ONE WHO HAS 7 MONTHS ALREADY ON HIS MISSION AND BARELY GOT HIS VISA) THE MISSION PRESIDENT PICKED US UP WITH THE SECRETARY (A NORMAL ELDER, BUT NOT THE ASSISTANT, BECAUSE THEY DON~T HAVE OLDER COUPLES TO DO THE FINANCIAL WORK AND STUFF HERE) WHO WAS BRASILIAN BUT SPOKE GOOD ENGLISH, BECAUSE MY PRESIDENT DOESN~T SPEAK ANY ENGLISH! SO I GUESS I DONT HAVE MUCH TO SAY ABOUT HIM, ALL I KNOW IS TUDO ESTA BOM COM ELE [everything is well with him], AND HIS WIFE COOKS VERY WELL (LUCNH THE NEXT DAY). WE WENT TO THE RECIFE TEMPLE TO EAT AND SLEEP (BUT NOT TO ATTEND) AND IT WAS AWESOME. LIKE LOS ANGELES, IT IS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE VERY BUSY CITY AND SURROUNDED BY WORLDLINESS AND HEAVY TRAFFIC. SPEAKING OF WHICH THE TRAFFIC IS RIDICULOUS HERE. IF YOU WANT TO HEAR ABOUT IT JUST ASK TOM CUZ APPARENTLY IT'S EVEN WORSE IN SÃO PAULO! MOTORCYCLIST ARE DOIDA AQUI [crazy here]! BUT ANYWAYS AFTER THE 32 HOURS OF TRAVEL AND A NICE NIGHTS REST AND A RETURN TRIP TO THE AIRPORT TO FILL OUT SOME PAPERWORK, I MET MY COMPANION, ELDER DE SOUZA, AND WE TOOK A 4 HOUR BUS RIDE TO GARANHUNS, A CITY ON THE INTERIOR OF THE MISSION [southwest of Recife]. HE IS A BRASILEIRO FROM SÃO PAULO AND DOES NOT SPEAK ANY ENGLISH (EXCEPT THE WORDS HEY MAN..., SORRY, I LOVE YOU, SISTER BROTHER MOTHER FATHER, AND THAT'S PRETTY MUCH IT). HE ASKED TOM, DID YOU KNOW ELDER T. SANTOS?  THAT GUY WAS IN BELEM IN 2003-5, AND MARRIED ELDER DE SOUZA'S MOM...ANYWAYS HE IS VERY PATIENT WITH ME AND WHENEVER PEOPLE TALK TO ME, I CAN~T UNDERSTAND. SO HE TURNS TO ME AND SAYS IT AGAIN, MUCH MORE SLOWLY AND SIMPLY, THEN I TRY TO PUT SOME WORDS TOGETHER TO ANSWER THE PEOPLE. THE PEOPLE HERE ARE VERY POOR, AND EVERYONE WE TEACH/VISIT HAS NO MODE OF TRANSPORTATION BESIDES TO WALK, WHICH IS FRUSTRATING BECAUSE OUR CHAPEL IS KINDA FAR FROM OUR AREA. SO ANYONE THAT COMES TO CHURCH HAS TO REALLY WANT TO, BECAUSE IT TAKES PROBABLY ABOUT 30-40 MINUTES TO WALK THERE. WE HAVE A FAMILY, WE REFER TO AS "NOSSA FAMILIA" WHICH IS 4 KIDS WHO ARE BAPTIZED (EXCEPT THE LITTLE 5 YEAR OLD) AND THE PARENTS, WHO WILL BE BAPTIZED IN 2 WEEKS AFTER WE GET THEM MARRIED. I DON~T KNOW WHY, BUT WHEN I RECEIVED MY CARD [money], I HAD WAY MORE MONEY THEN EVERYONE ELSE, AND THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY TOLD ME I COULD KEEP IT AND USE IT WISELY. AND NOW I GET TO PAY FOR THEIR WEDDING WITH IT. PERFECT.

YUP, WE LIVE IN, LET~S SEE, THE 9TH PLACE I'VE LIVED IN MY MISSION, IN AN APARTMENT WITH 2 OTHER MISSIONARIES, ONE WHICH IS AMERICAN, AND CAN TRANSLATE THE PROBLEM-WORDS OF THE DAY WHEN WE GET HOME. HE~S ELDER STRICKLAND FROM WISCONSIN. THE APARTMENT IS NOT TOO SHABBY, BUT THE BATHROOM IS NASTY (CAN'T PUT TOILET PAPER IN THE TOILET) AND MOLD EVERYWHERE, BUT IT'S PRETTY AWESOMELY LOCATED. THE MIDDLE OF GARANHUNS, WITH CITY ALL OVER THE SURROUNDING HILLS. THE CITY IS PROBABLY ABOUT THE SIZE OF VENTURA OR SMALLER, AND IT HAS 3 WARDS AND 2 CHAPELS. WE HAVE A LITTLE WALK FROM OUR APARTMENT TO THE CHAPEL, AND A LONGER WALK IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION TO GET TO THE BOUNDARIES OF THE WARD IN WHICH WE SERVE. (WHAT? WHY DID I WRITE THAT?) [because he's learning correct English grammar by studying Portuguese ! :) ]

[I told him to be careful about keeping any mission rules about drinking the right kind of water...]  I'M BEING CAREFUL AND MY PAIZINHO (TRAINER) TAKES CARE OF ME. NO WORRIES.  WE GET LUNCH WITH THE MEMBERS EVERY DAY SO WE HARDLY HAVE TO BUY GROCERIES.

LIB'S IN TOWN? COOL SOUNDS FUN. THE BEACH THAT WE DROVE BY IN RECIFE LOOKS PRETTY SIMILAR TO THE BEACH IN VENTURA, BUT BLUER, WARMER, BETTER WAVES.  AND CATH, MY COMPANION THINKS YOU ARE VERY PRETTY. BUT HE ALREADY HAS A GIRLFRIEND, AND APPARENTLY THEY'VE PLANNED THAT WHEN HE GETS HOME IN 4 MONTHS, THEY WILL BE MARRIED 4 DAYS LATER...

[This last paragraph contains Tom's questions to Jon about food and drink, transportation, language...]

 Have you had any cold coconut water, coco gelado? NOT YET, I HAD SUCO DE GUARANHA OR SOMETHING, AND LOTS OF GUARANÁ, CUS-CUIS, BEANS, RICE, CARNE...    Ridden on a packed ônibus? OH YES. VERY VERY PACKED, PART OF THE WAY TO GARANHUNS, NÃO TINHA UM LUGAR PARA ME SENTAR OU TO STAND [I didn't have a place to sit or stand...] (COMO SE DIZ? [how to you say stand??]) How was Sao Paulo? JUST TRANSFERRED PLANES THERE. I bet you have progressed in the language since you first got there, even though it was only 4 days ago. YEAH, DEFINITELY I CAN SPEAK MUCH MORE WITH MY COMPANION. OR MAYBE HE IS JUST GETTING BETTER AT UNDERSTANDING BAD PORTUGUESE. Tell us about your ward/branch and area... city or rural?  Can you understand the people at all with their accents? THEY ALL HAVE AN ACCENT MORE LIKE PORTUGAL. WHEN THEY SAY BOM DIA, THEY SAY DIA LIKE ESPANOL, NOT LIKE "JEE-YA". AND THEY SAY NOIS EM VEZ DE NOS [em vez de = instead of] AND STUFF. SO I GUESS THAT'S THE TYPE OF PORTUGUESE I'LL BE SPEAKING. BUT APPARENTLY, IT IS DIFFERENT HERE IN THE INTERIOR THAN IT IS ON THE COAST OF OUR MISSION.  Tom wrote: When I got to belém i was like wow this is not the pronunciation they taught me in the MTC!  Cliche i know but its true.  Don't hesitate to ask your trainer what things mean, and keep a pocket dictionary in your bag always haha!  that helped me. THANKS, YEAH I DO BOTH OF THESE ALWAYS. I'M CONSTANTLY ASKING QUESTIONS TO HIM.

CIAO E OBRIGADO,
COM AMOR
ELDER HOOKE

Jon's last day in Birmingham (From Holzapfel's Mission Blog)

22 September 2010

Jon's last day in Alabama!  Click on the link to President and Sister Holzapfel's Alabama Birmingham Mission Blog. They have posted 7 photos of Jon's last day there, as well as wonderful captions. Many thanks to them for taking such good care of our Elder Hooke!

Birmingham Temple