9-26-11 Normal week...

26 Sep 2011

hello family

The week was pretty dang normal. We have been pretty tired and sem ânimo and the whole mission is really suffering. Normally during a month the zone that I'm in baptizes 20 to 30 people, and this month we baptized 6!  I don't really know why honestly, I only know that in our area things are tough. 

We do have a few people that we are working with, including Alice (Ruan's cousin) who will probably be baptized between the sessions of conference on Sunday. She's doing really well, she was at church and has some friends there, so she has a good support system to be able to stay active.

Last week at church I think I told you about the couple, Edmilson and Zinha, they went to church and we started teaching them. We taught them 3 times last week and they are progressing really well. They read the Book of Mormon together and pray consistently together now. Edmilson already accepted the invite to be baptized, but seeing as they are not married, we will tomorrow try to mark a wedding and baptism date. I don't know if I told you last week but Zinha is a member that stopped going to church a few years ago, but still has a strong testimony and is gonna keep going now. We've had some great lessons with them and I feel like we (or actually God) have/has been able to help them a lot already.

Thank you love you too- sorry for not being able to respond to everything, I am almost out of time.

love

elder hooke

9-19-11 A little discouragement, Visit from Claudio R. M. Costa

9-19-11
  GOOD MORNING HOOKES (AND ANYONE ELSE WHO READS MY LETTERS),

MY WEEK ALSO WENT BY REALLY FAST. NOT REALLY ANYTHING TO REPORT ABOUT THE WORK HERE, BECAUSE NONE OF THE PEOPLE WE ARE TEACHING ARE KEEPING THEIR COMMITMENTS. EXCEPT FOR RUAN'S COUSIN, ALICE, 11, WITH WHOM WE'LL PROBABLY MARK A BAPTISMAL DATE TOMORROW.  

WE AREN'T REALLY HAVING SUCCESS AT LEAST AS RESULTS CAN BE MEASURED.

WAIT EM, YOU  SENT 2 LETTERS WITHOUT RECEIVING A RESPONSE? IT'S BEEN A REALLLLLY LONG TIME, MAYBE I DIDN'T GET ONE OF THEM, BUT OK I'LL SEND YOU A LETTERZINHA. THE POSTAL SERVICE IS ON STRIKE HERE AND HAS BEEN FOR A WEEK, SO I DON'T KNOW WHEN I'LL BE ABLE TO SEND YOU A LETTER.

I THINK I WILL STILL RUN FOR BYUH WHEN I GET BACK, BUT I HAVE NO IDEA. I GUESS I HAVE TO DECIDE KINDA SOON...


Good quote:

“Next to the bestowal of life itself, the right to direct that life is God’s greatest gift to man. Agency is the impelling source of the soul’s progress. It is the purpose of the Lord that man become like him. In order for man to achieve this it was necessary for the Creator first to make him free” (David O. McKay, in Conference Report, Apr. 1950, p. 32).

IT'S TRUE, AND UNFORTUNATELY EVERYONE ABUSES THAT GIFT TO SOME EXTENT.

I HAD A PERSONAL INTERVIEW WITH CLAUDIO COSTA, THE BRAZIL AREA PRESIDENT (AND FORMER PRESIDENCY OF THE 70S). HE INTERVIEWED EVERY MISSIONARY IN THE MISSION PERSONALLY. 

HE BISHOP'S MOM IS THE BEST COOK IN PERNAMBUCO, AND I ALREADY REQUESTED A LUNCH WITH HER AND THE FAM WHEN DAD AND TOM COME... I WENT TO CAMARAGIBE ON A DIVISION, AND I GOT TO TEACH A COUPLE OF THEIR NEWER INVESTIGATORS, SO I DIDN'T SEE PEOPLE THAT I TAUGHT. LOTS OF PEOPLE THAT WE BAPTIZED ALREADY HAVE LOTS OF PROBLEMS AND SOME NEVER GO TO CHURCH ANYMORE. IT'S PRETTY DISCOURAGING.

THANKS AND I LOVE YOU ALL TOO, HOPE EVERYTHING GOES WELL THIS WEEK.

TCHAU, ABRAÇO, BJO

ELDER HOOKE 

9-12-11 Ruan's baptism, Independence Day activities, General Authority coming

THE WEEK WENT PRETTY WELL. WE WERE ABLE TO TEACH RUAN ALL THE LESSONS BEFORE SATURDAY AND HAVE A GREAT BAPTISMAL MEETING ON SATURDAY NIGHT. I THINK IT WOULD BE SAFE TO SAY THAT HE (11 YEARS OLD) IS PRETTY MUCH THE SMARTEST PERSON THAT I'VE TAUGHT IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS. HE DECIDED TO GET BAPTIZED BEFORE WE EVEN KNEW HE WASN'T A MEMBER, BUT IT WAS REALLY COOL TO BE ABLE TO QUICKLY TEACH EVERYTHING DURING THE WEEK AND ALSO WE WILL TRY TO START TEACHING A FEW OTHER PEOPLE HE LIVES WITH. HIS MOM AND STEP DAD ARE NOT MEMBERS, BUT THEY ALSO LIVE IN A DIFFERENT WARD. RUAN STAYS AT HIS AUNT'S HOUSE ON THE WEEKENDS, AND SHE IS A MEMBER, SO THAT IS HOW HE'S BEEN GOING TO CHURCH.  RUAN WAS CONFIRMED YESTERDAY.

TOMORROW I WILL DO A DIVISION IN CAMARAGIBE TO (TRY TO) HELP THEIR AREA OUT A LITTLE BIT. 

THIS THURSDAY A GENERAL AUTHORITY IS COMING (IDK WHO) TO TALK TO THE MISSION.

ELDER ALBUQUERQUE'S DOING WELL, HE'S LEARNED LOTS OF WAYS TO TEACH AND KNOWLEDGE OF HOW TO BE MORE EFFECTIVE AS A MISSIONARY, AND HOW TO CLEAN UP AFTER HIMSELF HAHA. I'M LEARNING THAT IT IS MUCH BETTER TO HAVE FAITH THAN DOUBT.

AND TALK ABOUT THE ACTIVITY ON 7 DE SETEMBRO, WHICH IS INDEPENDENCE DAY. AT THE CHAPEL THE ENTIRE DAY THE WARD HAD AN ACTIVITY INCLUDING BREAKFAST, LUNCH, AND SNACKS IN THE EVENING. EVERYONE SPENT THE WHOLE DAY PLAYING SOCCER, VOLLEY, DODGEBALL (I DOMINATED THANKS TO THE SINGLES WARD WEEKLY TRAINING), UNO, BOARD GAMES, PLAYSTATION 3, JUMPING ON A TRAMPOLINE, EATING AND GETTING TO KNOW EACH OTHER BETTER. IT WAS GREAT FOR THE MISSIONARY WORK TOO BECAUSE WE TALKED TO 11 NEW PEOPLE JUST THAT DAY THAT WE ARE NOW, OR WILL SOON BE (HOPEFULLY) TEACHING. YEAH BUT NONE WENT TO CHURCH SUNDAY...

THE ONLY INVESTIGATOR AT CHURCH WAS MONICA, WHO IS SLOWLY BUT SURELY PROGRESSING. 

WE HAVE LOTS OF INVESTIGATORS BUT NO ONE THAT IS REALLY PROGRESSING (EXCEPT MONICA). WE TAUGHT DARLLY, WHICH WENT REALLY WELL AND SHE ACCEPTED  AND UNDERSTOOD VERY WELL THE INVITE TO READ AND PRAY, BUT THEN SHE DIDN'T GET UP FOR CHURCH SUNDAY.

THE MAJORITY OF THE LESS ACTIVE PEOPLE IN THIS AREA HAVE ONE OF 2 PROBLEMS: THEY HAVE A REAL DIFFICULTY THAT IMPEDES THEM FROM GOING TO CHURCH SUNDAY, OR THEY WERE OFFENDED AT A CERTAIN POINT AND NEVER WANT TO GO BACK.  THERE ARE A FEW THAT WE ARE WORKING WITH, LIKE HEITOR'S MOM, WHO IS GOING EVERY SUNDAY NOW AND A FEW OTHER PEOPLE. 

THANK YOU LOVE YOU TOO

HAVE A GOOD WEEK!

ELDER HOOKE

9-5-11 Upcoming baptisms, kite season

9-5-11

HELLOW FAMILY! SO THE WEEK WAS CHALLENGING, AND WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME GOING THROUGH THE LIST OF MEMBERS AND VISITING LESS ACTIVES. THERE ARE SOME STREETS IN SAN MARTIN THAT HAVE LIKE 10 HOUSEHOLDS WITH MEMBERS, BUT ONLY 1 OR 2 THAT I KNEW OF (CUZ THE REST ARE COMPLETELY INACTIVE)...BUT ANYWAYS IT DIDN'T SEEM LIKE IT DID MUCH GOOD. SATURDAY MORNING I WAS ON A DIVISION WITH THE LZ [zone leader] AND WE VISITED THIS HOUSE OF A LESS ACTIVE THAT ELDER ALBUQUERQUE AND I HAD PASSED BY, BUT THE LADY WASN'T HOME. WE TALKED WITH A 12 YEAR OLD GIRL AND I FOUND OUT THAT SHE IS A RELATIVE OF ANOTHER LESS ACTIVE MEMBER THAT I KNOW, AND SO WE INVITED HER TO CHURCH AND TOLD HER TO BRING HER RELATIVES, WHICH IS NORMAL, AND NORMALLY THEY DON'T GO. BUT THEN ON SUNDAY SHE ACTUALLY SHOWED UP WITH HER COUSIN AND HER COUSIN'S HUSBAND WHO ARE THE MEMBERS, AND ANOTHER COUSIN (DARLEE), AND THEY LOVED IT. DARLEE CAME UP TO US BEFORE SACRAMENT MEETING AND SAID "THE BISHOP TOLD ME TO TALK TO YOU GUYS CUZ I WANT TO GET BAPTIZED..." SO THAT WAS COOL, AND WE'LL BE TEACHING HER THIS WEEK AND PROBABLY HAVE THE BAPTISM NEXT WEEK.

AND ANOTHER COMPLETELY UNRELATED BUT VERY SIMILAR MIRACLE FROM CHURCH YESTERDAY--THIS 11 YEAR OLD KID, RUAN (NOT THE SAME RUAN THAT I BAPTIZED MONTHS BACK), SHOWED UP WITH SOME RELATIVES (WHO ARE ALSO THE FAMILY OF IRENE'S BOYFRIEND), AND TOLD US THAT HE WAS GONNA BE BAPTIZED ON SATURDAY. WE THOUGHT, OH HE MUST BE FROM ANOTHER WARD, BUT NO, HE'D GONE TO CHURCH SEVERAL TIMES A FEW MONTHS BACK, BUT NOW HE IS GONNA BE LIVING WITH THE MEMBERS EVERY WEEKEND AND WITHOUT EVEN BEING INVITED, HE ANNOUNCED TO ALL THEM AND THEN TO US THAT HE WILL BE BAPTIZED ON SATURDAY. SO WE STARTED TEACHING HIM YESTERDAY AFTER LUNCH, HE WILL STOP (OR ALREADY STOPPED) DRINKING COFFEE SEM PROBLEMA, AND THIS SATURDAY HE SAID HE WANTS ME TO BAPTIZE HIM... I GUESS I'M COOL WITH THAT HAHA.

WE TAUGHT MARILIA AND LUANA, AND THEY VERY POLITELY TOLD US THAT THEY DON'T WANT TO GO TO THIS CHURCH ANYMORE, THAT LUANA WILL STAY IN THE BAPTIST CHURCH, AND THAT MARILIA WILL JOIN THE ASSEMBLEIA DE DEUS. MARILIA SAID SHE RECEIVED AN ANSWER THAT OUR CHURCH IS TRUE, AND ALSO THAT ASSEMBLEIA IS TRUE (WHICH WE TRIED EXPLAINING TO HER DOESN'T COMPLETELY MAKE SENSE, YES THERE ARE TRUTHS BUT NOT EVERYTHING...) AND SHE LIKES THE WAY THE PAID PREACHERS IN THE ASSEMBLEIA PREACH SO SHE'S GONNA GO THERE. SHE ALSO LIKES SPEAKING IN TONGUES IN CHURCH SO YEAH. THAT'S THAT.

CLEY IS DOING WELL, HE GOT A JOB, BUT ALSO GOT SICK AND WAS IN THE HOSPITAL ON SUNDAY MORNING... BUT HE'S GETTING BETTER.

MONICA IS NOT PROGRESSING NOW BUT WE'LL HAVE PATIENCE.

THE WEATHER- IT RAINS EVERY COUPLE DAYS, AND IT IS WINDY NOW. IT IS KITE SEASON. IT SEEMS THAT EVERY YOUNG MAN HERE IS OBSESSED WITH FLYING KITES. THERE ARE LITERALLY GUYS MY AGE THAT SPEND THE WHOLE DAY FLYING LITTLE KITES, TRYING TO CUT THE STRINGS OF THE OTHER KITES THAT ARE BEING FLOWN ALL OVER THE CITY.

SATURDAY NIGHT I GOT TO GO TO CAMARAGIBE (CUZ IT'S PART OF MY DISTRICT) TO GIVE THE MESSAGE AT A FAMILY NIGHT AT THE HOUSE OF MARCELO AND JOELMA, WHO AT THE END OF THIS MONTH WILL BE MARRIED AND BAPTIZED! MARCELO IS THE EX PASTOR FROM THE ASSEMBLEIA. LOTS OF OTHER FRIENDS FROM THE AREA WERE THERE AND IT WAS GREAT TO SEE THEM ALL AGAIN.

THANK YOU AND HAVE A GREAT WEEK PARA VOCES TAMBÉM [for you also]!
LOVE
ELDER HOOKE

8-31-11 Heitor's baptism [PHOTO]

8-31-11

HELLO MY FAMILY, THINGS ARE GOING WELL HERE. LAST WEEK WAS REALLY TOUGH, BUT WE WERE ABLE TO HAVE THE BAPTISM OF HEITOR. 

IT WENT VERY WELL, AND AFTER THE BAPTISM WE HAD AN ACTIVITY THAT ELDER ALBUQUERQUE AND I HAD ORGANIZED WHICH WAS LIKE THIS: 2 MEN FROM THE WARD GAVE PRESENTATIONS ON THE LIFE OF CHRIST, AND THEN HIS VISIT TO THE AMERICAS, EACH ONE ABOUT 15 MINUTES, THEN WE WATCHED THE FILM “THE TESTAMENTS” WITH POPCORN AND SODA. IT WENT WELL, ALTHOUGH THE ONLY NONMEMBERS THERE WERE A BUNCH OF KIDS FROM THE NEIGHBORING FAVELA WHO HEARD THAT WE WERE GIVING FREE POPCORN, AND LEFT AFTER THEY GOT THEIR POPCORN... BUT ANYWAYS DURING THE FILM HEITOR GOT UP TO GET A DRINK OR SOMETHING AND HE KICKED THE CORD OF THE PROJECTOR AND EVERYTHING STOPPED AND HE GOT REALLY EMBARRASSED... HE AND HIS MOM LEFT AT THIS POINT. IT TOOK ABOUT 20 MINUTES TO GET EVERYTHING WORKING AGAIN AND EXACTLY WHEN IT WAS WORKING AGAIN I TRIED TO SECURE THE CORD IN THE WALL AND IT UNPLUGGED AGAIN! SO EVERYONE STARTED YELLING AT ELDER HOOKE HAHA. BUT AT LEAST I WAS ABLE TO TELL HEITOR THAT STORY THE NEXT DAY AT CHURCH AND HE WAS A LITTLE LESS EMBARRASSED. 

SO WE ARE TEACHING THIS GUY CLEYJEMESON WHO IS VERY INTERESTED, WENT TO CHURCH,AND FEELS VERY GOOD ABOUT EVERYTHING. WE INVITED HIM TO BE BAPTIZED, AND HE ACCEPTED, BUT THE ONLY PROBLEM IS THAT HE LIVES HERE IN SAN MARTIN, AND HIS "WIFE" AND 2 KIDS LIVE IN ANOTHER BAIRRO FAR AWAY. HE GOT A JOB THIS WEEK, AND WHEN HE GETS STABILIZED, HIS WIFE AND KIDS WILL MOVE HERE. BUT AS FAR AS THE WEDDING AND EVERYTHING GOES, IT WILL PROBABLY DELAY. BUT IT’S BEEN COOL TO TEACH SOMEONE SO RECEPTIVE AND HELP HIM BECOME A BETTER PERSON.

WE ARE ALSO TEACHING TWO WOMEN, WHO WENT TO CHURCH A FEW TIMES. I THINK I ALREADY MENTIONED THEM--MARILIA AND LUANA. THEY ARE PROGRESSING LITTLE BY LITTLE. BUT MARILIA IS DECIDING RIGHT NOW BETWEEN THE ASSEMBLY OF GOD AND MORMON. SHE LIKES THEM BOTH AND WE ARE GOING TO TEACH THEM TONIGHT ABOUT THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST AND WHY THIS CHURCH IS DIFFERENT THAN EVERY OTHER ONE. WE’RE GOING TO TEACH THEM WITH RHAWENA.

IT’S A LITTLE TOUGH WITH MONICA--SHE WASN’T AT CHURCH AND IT’S BEEN SEVERAL DAYS SINCE WE TALKED TO HER. SHE GOT A JOB AND WE HAVEN’T FOUND HER AT HOME. SHE REALLY IS READY, BUT WE MIGHT BE LOSING HER STILL THE SAME... SHE HAS A ONE-YEAR-OLD BOY.

WE ARE TRYING TO BE MORE POSITIVE AND HAVE MORE FAITH,WHICH IS HELPING US TO BE MORE EXCITED. THIS AREA IS STILL REALLY SLOW.

LOVE YOU TOO, SEEYA

ELDER HOOKE 

8-22-11 Heitor, Luana, Maurilia, Monica, talk in church

8-22-11

Hello familia, this week went pretty well. 

My comp is a good guy. He's been a member his whole life. He left a girlfriend at home with whom he plans to get married. He's got 2 brothers, one is Downs syndrome, both are younger. His parents are active in the church, but he is the first from the family to serve a mission. This week was good and he's happy (and so am I) to be able to finally have at least a few good investigators.

Heitor was feeling insecure and his friends all made fun of him for being a Mormon, so yesterday he told us he didn't think he would get baptized this week. But we talked to him for awhile yesterday and helped him to see the right reasons for everything. At the end I told him, "So we aren't here to pressure you into anything, we are just here to help, so if and when you feel ready, we'll be excited to have your baptism." He responded and said, "No you guys are right, I should get baptized next week like we had planned." So hopefully everything goes well this week, he's even gonna fast, and have the baptism on Sunday.

We got to teach those 2 ladies Luana and Maurilia, but only Sunday an hour before church started. They were very receptive, and during this week were gonna go meet up with them in a public plaza to teach more (because Luana's family doesn't want us there, and Marilia works in the city every day). Hopefully all goes well with that. They are both very smart and good people.

We also met a single mom Mônica, who is a good lady. We taught her for the first time Saturday, about the restoration, then Sunday she went to church and liked it a lot. We'll teach her again tonight.

Yesterday I gave a talk in church about Missionary work to help the members see the importance of their role. It went alright, although the majority of the congregation wasn't listening.

Thanks for the email, you guys have a great week too!

Falou!

Elder Hooke 

8-15-11 Teaching Heitor, answer to prayer, Visit to Camaragibe, district leader

Anyways this week was decent. Raiane unfortunately didn't get baptized. She left the house of her loving aunt and uncle to go live in not such a good situation. Her brother Mateus stayed with the aunt and uncle and is doing great. So all we can do for Raiane now is pray I guess.

We are helping a lady who was baptized 4 years ago to return to church, and she went with her 11 year old son Heitor yesterday. We are teaching him and his baptism is already marked for the 27th. He's a good kid and is excited to be in church again (he used to go with his mom, but wasn't ever baptized).

On Thursday night we had nothing planned and for no reason decided to go to the house of a member lady, Regina. When we got there her daughter Rhawena said that she prayed that we´d pass by, because that morning she had a really cool experience being able to invite someone to church. So we talked with her about it and called the friend, and Sunday morning this friend, Luana, and her friend, Marilia, showed up at church. They are both about 25-30 yrs old, and really smart, and they just wanted to see what the Mormon church is like, and they were very well received. They liked it and we will be visiting them during this week (hopefully) to explain things a little better.

Irene´s doing great. She's really solid.

Today Elder Wells is finishing his mission, and he's gonna come by to San Martin to visit the bishop and we'll be able to eat lunch with him and his dad and the bishop's family.

The highlight of the week was definitely Friday, because I got to go back to Camaragibe and talk with Eliete and fam, Cheila, Juliana, and do the baptismal interview of Eliete's neighbor, Isabel, who was baptized on Saturday. I had just started to teach her when I left Camaragibe. It was great to talk to my friends there again. I also visited Marcelo and Joelma, who have both decided to get married and baptized--there's just some paperwork business to take care of now. I still hold to my prediction that Marcelo will be a bishop in a few years. I miss that area, all the people we taught there, and Elder Bradley and Johnson. They all miss us a lot too, but the current missionaries there are also good guys, luckily. Oh yeah I'm district leader again, of us, Camaragibe, Carmelo (the other ward in Camaragibe), and a little town called Ur-7. its going well. I think I'm gonna get to do a division in Camaragibe in a couple weeks, this week with Ur-7.

I LOVE THE PEOPLE AND IT IS HAPPY.

Wellp, seeya
love
Elder Hooke