Bonjour

Well Hey everyone. Ok So this week has been fantastic!  We were so busy! We were only in Compiègne in for 2 days this week!  Just out of control!  We saw some awesome miracles and also just had a fun time this week.  I got the Christmas package from home on Friday so that was wonderful!  I also love hearing all of the fun things that are going on back home to.  Alex has one of the most interesting missions i must say.  Just thinking if family was constantly around me i would be so distracted!  He is a strong Elder!  I also think it is funny that he is teaching a girl i knew back in High School Kirstin.  If it is the one i am thinking about i had a thing with her for a little moment.  Nothing big but still who didn't want Bomber F's drummer lets be honest!  Hahaha i am totally joking but i think it is so cool that they are teaching her.  Ummm let's see, oh yes Tyler kay and Miriam that is too good!  I hope they are having fun!  It sounds like the family is going really good.  I miss everyone quite a bit.  Just make this Christmas so much fun and that brings me joy as well.  Also poor jakers.  Take care of him but don't let him suffer.  The brothers need to understand that it will be soon but at the same time it's not worth the emotional longevity.  I'll talk more about that later.  So yes....

Christmas in Compiègne is so fun actually.  Apart from the complete ignorance of God and his role in Christmas, we can fell the season rolling in.  It has been cold but only mild.  My comp thinks it is nothing. Ha but i think it is cold and it is also super rainy.  I imagine it is just like Christmas in Washington.  We are hoping and waiting patiently for snow.  I WANT ANOTHER WHITE CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!  I have to admit though seeing the newly added presents under the tree and all that is helping with the Christmas spirit.  Hunter thank you for the Boomer mask.  I think that is the funniest thing ever!  Also i will be calling at 8 in the morning your time on christmas.  I am going to try and set up skype but i am not sure if i will be able to do it.  We'll see.  Also calls need to only last one hour president said so that is to bad but in any case i think that won't be to bad.  So yeah and thank you for the recipe.  I am so excited to make that bread again!!!!!

Ok so next thing i want to tell you about the wonderful week we had.  It will be really summarized because of how much happened but i sent a ton of pictures to make up for all the ones i haven't been able to send. So monday we were in Paris for a Christmas Zone Conference and it was so much fun.  I got the letter that you had sent and it was so touching and i am so thankful for that.  They also made us a bunch of nice french Christmas treats.  I was a lot of fun.  so then because of the conference that day P-day was moved to Tuesday.  Well Elder Reed had to go to Paris on Tuesday to get registered as a resident of france.  So we were in Paris and we visited the Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower, the Catacombs, Champs Elyées, and we tried to see the Louvre Museum but it is closed on tuesdays so we are going today :D.  So we did all of that and it was just an absolute blast.  Then on Friday i had to do my first baptismal interview so i was in Paris again for and exchange Friday and Saturday and then on sunday we were again in Torcy, just next to paris for a Stake Conference.  So yeah it was hectic and we did so much travelling.  The interivew went really well by the way.  At stake conference Joana came all the way from Compiègne which was fantastic!  also this week we got in touch with this amis who is so busy but is just so incredibly solid and will be baptized soon i know it!  So the amis are all doing really well in any case and even though we don't have any one with a date i believe some will come soon.  I am stoked.

Well that is about it for the moment.  We need to shop and then we need to catch our train to Paris!!!!  So i will talk to you later.  I love you all and i am so thankful for all that you do for me and all the thoughts that you have towards me.  That sounds weird but thats the translation in french to english.  i don't know how to say that..... oh well.  I hope you are doing good.  I love you all 

Elder Hoopes

Catacombs

Champs Elysées

Hi i'm Boomer

Notre Sapin de Noël

Our Christmas Picture

Hello Hello HELLO!

Hi how is everyone doing.  Things Here are going really well.  This past week has been phenominal!  Great blessings, great people, great finding and great members!  But before i get to all of that, MOM HAS AN iPHONE!  that is out of control!  So cool!  I want one really bad but that'll have to wait just a little bit i guess :)  I am so glad to hear that hunter is doing more cool things with his music!  You can send me the video!  I would love to see that! Send it to my other account if it is over 8MB because i don't think that this account can support documents that big. And other than that everything else that is happening back home sounds like a lot of fun and i know that i am really going to miss you all.  Its crazy to think that we are already back in December it feels like just yesterday i was in Cherbourg with Easton and Draleau.  That is so crazy now i am older than they both were in the mission.  So crazy.  The most comforting thing is knowing that next year i will be with you all.  By the way i don't think that it will be a problem calling home at 8 in the morning.  I don't think that will be a problem.  I am not sure if we can find a place to skype.  the problem is that i don't know where we will be eating quite yet.  So i don't know who to ask or where i will call.  I will let you know as that gets closer ok.  So yeah i am glad to hear things are rocking back home.  

So out here in good 'ole compiègne things are going like i said phenominal.  Almso just to let you know i got Sister Brinton's classes letters.  They were so sweet and i sent the replies just yesterday so you should be getting that soon.  So yeah this week was huge.  We found 4 new investigators and readded Two to our ami pool.  We also had 3 investigators at church which is totally awesome.  We have been trying so hard to get people to church and this last week like i said We had the 3.  so finding is going great.  Our amis are doing so well too.  They are keeping commitments and are trying to come to a better understanding of what this is all about.  So they are progressing well and the members.  The members are doing great!!!!  Honestly, we have really just started to be more bold with them and i'll tell you what it is working.  We acknowledged that they had been doing that it was good but we also said it wasn't enough.  How do people get baptized from just giving a Book of Mormon or being an "example" for everyone around you.  Can you imagine if that is just all the missionaries around the world did for missionary work.  Very little would ever get done.  We said it is time to step it up and to invite people to take the lessons.  We said think of three people, and invite them to do one of three things, take the lessons, participate in a christmas message or come to church.  And you know out off the people we have mentioned it to they have been thinking about people and trying to invite!  I love it!  They care!  HAHAHAHAHAHA they CARE!!!  I am so happy about that!  One family was incredibly touched by our invitation.  We did role plays to practice inviting people to hear a christmas message and after that rendez-vous with them they decided to have a Christmas party, in which we, the missionaries would share a missionary message with everyone who came and then we'd eat!  How cool already they have 9 people who will be coming!  YAY!  so yeah just so wonderful.  I can't tell you everything that i'd like to in this email because of time but just know how thankful i am for the Savior and how merciful He has been to us in compiègne.  We have needed Him so badly and He is really helping us!  I love Him and i love this work.  I love serving a mission for Him.

Well good i am so happy to hear all is well and i'll talk to you next week.  Love you all!

Elder Hoopes

BONJOUR!!!!‏

Oh my Goodness!  So there is so much going on!  It is hilarious how bipolar missionary can be at times.  So i have so much to write and so much to say but i know that i am going to forget to say a ton of things so bear with me. :)  So starting off THANKSGIVING!  Mom when you said that it was all beautiful and well done that is when i really missed home because yeah they don't do that here unless they are rich or it is christmas.  So yeah our's was great but it wasn't anywhere the same.  For example i ate snails (so GOOD!), oysters, and some other little things.  Here in France they don't know how to make real mashed potatoes and they don't sell big turkeys like at home. They definately sell EVERY body part of a turkey but i guess they never just sell in bulk haha.  We had turkey legs and that is about all.  All in all it was really good but actually tonight we are redoing it with all the missionaries.  That is why i am writing so early.  We are going into paris and then we are going to Play football and have a big dinner.  So that will be pretty fun and that will all happen tonight.  I got the thanksgiving package and it was so funny!  I loved the turkeys and it totally reminded me of all the things you used to do like that back home mom. They weren't to destroyed either.  And the gloves are fantastic.  I love them and they are so much better than the ones i had last year.  They work great thank you.  this week was so nice because i was able to really think about everything that i was so grateful for.  It's true that you don't realize what you have until you are gone. But yeah next year je serai là!  Woo hoo!  I am so happy to hear that everything was a success and a blast!  I can't wait to see everyone when i get back!  That will be so much fun!

So to kinda let you in on what happened this week.  We had a TON of miracles.  I think Heavenly Father felt bad for use so he just showered us with blessings to help us get back on track.  We found three new investigators and this upcoming week we should have 5 or 6 and they are all French!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I love teaching french people so much and we should have a good base soon.  We also found a super legit lady from COLOMBIA!  She is catholic at the base but because of life events she adopted a lot of buddist beliefs.  But she is open to the church and get this, her husbands dream is to be a pilot.  It's like DAD provided me sith the best in for this family. So that is them.  Also this week at the church we had an Italian Night that just ended up being a blast. 3 of our old amis that dropped us were invited by the same members who gave them as referrals and they came to the church and had a totally great time.  One of these people is Hervé and hervé is having some serious issues.  Well we had taught him in the past but nothing ever came out of it.  He dropped us after the third of fourth time we called to reschedule a RDV.  Well he came and we met is family who are the complete polar opposites of him!  They are fantastic!  They are so sweet and so open and fun loving people.  His wife didn't even hesitate in saying yes when we asked to come by!  so we will see them this next week.  We also went by a house that we tracted  long time ago in which we a gave a Book of Mormon.  so i din't really want to go back by because she didn't seem to interested but Elder Reed insisted so we repassed her house. She answered and we talked for about thirty mintues at the door and then we finally said hey can we better present the Book of Mormon to you this next week.  And she said yeah why not i think i'd like that! She said we could have a little tea time haha.  So yeah that is next week.  We are really seeing things start to click here it is insane.  Me and Elder Reed planned this week for 6 hours! It was a long day.  But we wanted to make a plan and come up with the best way to change this place in to just the best city in the mission.  We decided that the members need to be taught how to invite people to meet the missionaries.  We said for this next month of December we want every single member to invite 3 people to do one of three things.  One, Come to church; two, have a gospel discussion with the missionaries; or three invite a friend to listen to a message about Christmas with the missionaries.  Eveyone was a little hesitant and i just laid it down because i am sick of the lack of efforts by French members.  I said listen it is so good that you are giving Book of Mormons to people and "being an example" and things like that, BUT if you want this ward to grow we need more people to get into the building and see what and who we are.  It time to take this to a new level.  They seemed a little bit pumped up and now almost every member has come up to us saying that they have someone in mind and that they are planning to invite their friends.  One family said that they were going to have a huge Christmas luncheon where we would give a short message about Christmas and Jesus and then we would eat afterwards.  They said we'll plan on having around 30 or 40 or our friends come over for that!  I would just like to say how extatic i am for this and how grateful i am to God that he has helped us and directed us in a good way.  I know That he doesn't want us to give up and i can see that even though we will have little rutts, even big rutts that come form time to time, he was us to be happy and have success.  I love this work.  I really do.So yeah sorry that is so incredibly long but i just wanted to share all these things with you because i know it has strengthened me. Switching topics like crazy, Catey, cutest girl ever!  I just got her letter and i am going to write her back soon. Also speaking of girls and Washington a little, Mom did you ever know the Woodwards?  They are in bellingham 1st ward.  Anyway their daughter is a missionary in our mission and she was good friends with the hatch kids.  We talked a lot about bellingham and it was fun.  Anyway i don't know if there is other stuff i need to add.  Me and Eler Reed are still getting along good and everything so yeah.  I think that is it.  I love you all so much and i hope that you are doing good to.  You are always in my prayers!  Love you ALL


Elder Hoopes

Bonjour tout le monde‏

Bonjour! Comment-allez vous?!  ça va bien?  Things here are going good.  We're still going here in Compiègne.  Things have been interesting this last transfer and i am excited for another oppurtunity to learn and grow with Elder Reed.  I have celebrated all of the major holidays with him this year haha!  Christmas i think will be good.  Let me know what day i can call because i am going to try and do it at the church or something like that.  I hope i can do skype but i am not sure which of the members have skype.  We'll just have to see.  I will bring it up with the bishop and he will tell us.  So yeah also this week is THANKSGIVING! You guys are so luck to be able to celebrate that.  I miss that alot but next year i'll be there!!!!!!!!!!!   !!!!!!! !!!! !! ! This thanksgiving we will be eating a turkey at the Bishop's parents house so that should be nice.  I am going to try and find some cranberry sauce so at least i can try to make it seem like it is authentic.  The only thing that I think i'll have on you is that we will be able to hold a turkey bowl and we will be playing on Les Invalides, a giant field right underneath the Eiffel Tower.  That is about all though :p :) So yeah i know that i will be really missing all of you.

This week was another week that kinda went slow but at the same time it was good and it helped us prepare for this next week.  I don't know what it is but it is frusturating at times.  However frusturating, We have to keep going on and i know that the Lord will give us the results that we show him we want.  Some of the Elders in my district were having a really rough time.  They have been struggling for a long time but they said that they want to have Five baptisms by the end of the mission even though they were struggling.  Well this week the elders there found 5 new people and 4 of them have asked about the qualifications for baptism.  Wuch a miracle!  I am so proud of them.  We are trying to have the same success!  We are going to have to focus our efforts this next week on lots of finding because we are lacking in the potentials department! So we need to get that better.  But we will keep going and like i said we are really praying for miracles.  It is nice because the ward here is really starting to work with us more and are sharing with more and more stories of where they are actually doing missionary work. That helps us so much because that shows us that they are willing to do the efforts and help us try to find new people.  We are going to start to help the mebers learn how they can do the hardest part and that is to then give us the number of this person.  So yeah that is Compiègne for the moment.

I am so incredibly happy to hear about Richard and his faith and how he is grown.  I have used his story multiple times with the ward in showing them the miracles that can happen by just inviting someone to come to church.  He is an inspiration to me and let him also be an example to our family in inviting more people to hear about this wonderful gospel!  It has blessed us so much! Let's share it more.  You never know what might happen.  Richard is going to be making sacred eternal convenants in December.  Can you imagine if he never had the oppurtunity in this life to do that.  He would be so sad on the other side.  It's stories like his that push me to continually do missionary work.  It is so incredibly worth it.  

Thank you for preparing another package for me!  that is so sweet.  I would be happy if there are cheez-its inside.  Those are my favorites.  I think that is it though. all the other stuff you send will be so great anyway!  I love packages from home.  Speaking of getting things back home.  I got a letter from Brandie DeAnda today!  It was so much fun to hear from her.  I also have gotten some fun letters from CatieCatester and Ellie! How fun! Also a fun the world is so small story, one of my buddies from back home who is serving in Canada is serving in my comps old ward!  He was eating with the Reed family and they asked where he was from and he said AZ, so then there all oh so is our sons companion, Do you know Elder Hoopes?!  And apparently he freaked out just as much as i did when Elder Reed read me the letter!  LOL so so fun! I love little stories like that.  Ha well good i think that is going to be all for the moment.  I love you all so much and i pray for you everyday!  

Love Elder Hoopes

So yes i can't tell you how happy i am to have seen all the pictures from the three day walk!  That is always such an awesome event and i love that my mom was a part of it.  I loved seeing all the pictures of the family in Arizona!  I love that i will have a big family to come back to honestly!  So much fun!  Mom i am so proud of you and Julianna and i hope you know that i was thinking and praying for you all!  Mom you also look so skinny!!!! you look great! Congratulations on losing so much weight and enduring to the end.  So so so fun.  I have been telling everyone here that you were doing that this weekend.  Honestly i didn't know that it would be so difficult to say your walking to cure breast cancer in french.  So many people thought that you had cancer and that you just had to walk it off to be healed.....I love the english language and it's simplicities at times. :)  So yeah that was just so much fun seeing those pics and all of that!  Thank you for sharing that with me. 

So i am going to be honest on the missionary spectrum this week was pretty difficult.  We lost Joana and Vanessa as investigators.  We don't know exactly what happened but we are pretty sure that she went to her aunts house and had some issues.  We'll see if we can see her but she isn't answering our calls.  We also lost some other strong investigators, so now it is back to the beginning. Even though this week has been unfortunate we did have an incredible zone conference.  I think all the things that happened this week were things to make us forget about the wonderful feelings we felt there.  I will talk about that in a sec.  But yeah this week was tough.  Elder Reed and I are getting along better.  We have been hitting some rough spots and haven't quite yet found an equilibrium.  The thing is we don't dislike each other it's just were not meshing and we don't know why.  So yeah That is all the negative stuff.  Now to the super cool stuff.

So this Friday we had a Tri-Zone Conference and it was fantastic.  Elder Kopishcke from the Europe Area Presidency was there and was stellar.  He started off by saying that he didn't have a big lesson outline or anything just questions and activities.  The very first thing he had us do was write any number of questions on a piece of paper about our personal lives or about missionary work, really anything.  Then he said over this conference i promise you that if you seek and you have an open heart the spirit will reveal to you truths and will answer your questions.  Pretty bold.  So we went through the conference and after we had finished we realized that the personal questions that we had written on the pieces of paper had all been answered and that it wasn't in anything that he really said but it is moreso answers that came into our mind while he would ask other questions or would ask us just to think and take a moment to ponder.  It was revelatory to say the least and really helped me in my respective domains.  He helped us see and trust that we ourselves could understand and receive personal revelation.  I think honestly that was the first time in my life where i felt such an abundance of the spirit to where i "had no desire to do evil."  It was like i couldn't even be tempted by bad thoughts or be distracted or better effected by the people around me.  I wanted to do anything to hold onto this special feeling and do everything i could to not let it go.  I felt a desire to pray constantly and to thank heavenly father unceasingly.  It was honestly a new feeling and really it was one of the most crucial and memorable moments of my life.  I loved it so so much and that really helped us get through this week that wasn't to wonderful.

So yeah that is it for me and my week.  This is the last week of the transfer but the i know that i will be staying here until the new year.  Ha Crazy!  I get to call in like just over a month!  Nice!  I hope all is going super well back home and i hope you all know how much i love you all.  Brothers stay good and help mom and dad!

Love, Elder Hoopes

Haha i love this picture.  It's funny when they try to speak english here!

Bonjour!

Well Hello!

DAD happy 46th Birthday!!!!!!!  I was really thinking about you on friday and i hope that you had a great day!  You are getting older and older by the year LOL!  Ha Thanks for being so great and for all you do for me! Next thing, Mom thank you for all of the pictures!  they are so great!  I couldn't even recognize the babies honestly!  It has been so long! They are so cute!  Oh man well that'll be nice to see them in now less than a year!  Nice!  So i am also so happy to hear that Dad and Hunter had a fun time freezing in the mountains.  to bad you cant come hunting up here in Compiègne We see dear really often while driving at night.  Hunter looks great with Erica too!  Ummm Oh and mom that is so funny that you saw Frère Howell.  He is such an awesome guy and is one of the reasons i survived the MTC.  He is such a great instructer!  I am glad you were able to meet him. Such a small world. Also so Pascals Painting.  He painted that for me and Elder Awerkamp and we decided that i could just hold onto it.  So yeah ha and i was the one who sent it home too.  But it was so nice of him.  I don't even know what it's about.  I just know that he took time to paint us that!  Such a special person to me. Next thing of business, thank you for adding some money to my account.  Thank you for sending my gloves, i haven't bought any yet :) And as far as being sick it just kinda came and went.  When i feel sick i just eat fruits and vegetables and drink lots of water and it gets better.  On the plus side i sound more french when i'm sick.  Deeper Voice.  Everything sounds like it is going really good back home and just know that i miss you all so much and hope that you are doing really good.  Hearing that the brothers are gaining and bearing testimonies is one of the best parts of being an older brother! Must have good parents ;) And also jumping from subject to subject i am so excited to know about Leyla's baby!  Tell her that i am thinking about her and her margot and cody are in my thoughts and prayers.

So going onto to missionary work.  This week was really good. The Lord really helped us out.  It seemed like that in each negative situation, he provided someway so that we could accomplish what we had planned to do in the first place.  This week as far as numbers goes, we saw more lessons this week than any other week before this year.  That was cool.  We really just pushed the pedal to the metal and tried to find people to teach and God blessed us with people.  Joana and Vanessa are doing really good at the moment! Ha it was funny this sunday we were planning on her coming to church but we discouraged when she wasn't there.  So about 15 mintues into the first hour we called her to see what she was doing, if she was coming, the gists of everything.  so we call her and she hangs up on us.  We're like.....man.....this stinks.....So we just went back into class and just and went on like normal.  We get out of class and one of the sisters comes out and says hey Your friend Joana is in class! Haha we were so relieved!  Turns out she hung up on me because she was already in class!  Haha so funny!  So yeah she came to church Vanessa didn't :| Oh well.... But she came and was well recieved and even sat next to a family there! They just called her over and said do you want to sit by us and she just gave us a big smile and sat next to them.  That was so good.  Honestly just things were clicking a lot better this week than last and i am feeling a lot more confident in my comp, my district and myself.

So Yeah that is about it for the moment.  Thank you again for all the great pictures! If they are to big to send here just send them to my other email and i can look at them there!  I love you all and am so thankful for all of you!

Love Elder Hoopes

Happy Halloween!!!!!‏

Bonjour tous le Monde!

So just to start off i did buy some new church songs off itunes.  It is the onlty way to buy new music but yes i promise none of it is "Pagan music" as we would say.  Just some josh Groban and Hymn arrangements :) Also more money in the account.  I do have things from last year.  I will need Gloves and long johns.  But that should be it.  That i didn't have last year.  But as far as everything else goes i am good.  I got the Halloween package which was so nice thankyou.  Elder Reed and I got pumpkins to carve today and that was fun!  So the candy went well with that.  I really was missing the halloween party though unfortunately.  Those are some of my favorite memories!  But next year i will be there!  Halloween here is not the same AT ALL!  they hardly do tricker treating! LAME!!!!!!!!  Actually from all the tracting and knocking on doors we've done i can see why kids wouldn't want to knock on other peoples doors! Worst treat ever! Haha Christmas package!  Thank you!  I can't wait!  Sizes?....hmmmm..... I am wearing a Large in Tee shirt size and 36x34 pants. Pretty much anything Large works.

But yes that is that.  So this week is the best week that we have had here in compiègne since i've been here and since compiègne has had in a while.  We did really well and tonight again we should have a great night.  We are teaching a two portuguese families who are just stellar.  One of them we found this last week and i will talk about them later. Things are going great.  We are getting to drive through the countryside and the Woods so much and it is one of the prettiest places i have ever seen.  So many colors! Orange, Brown, Yellow, Green and Red came out last week along with some purple! It has been so gorgeus and weather is just formidable! I love the countryside and i love the city even though it is very small.  I love going porting out in tiny villages just out in the middle of the woods! I don't like the porting as much but being in the woods yes!  I'vee seen deer, a fox and a pack of Wild boars! It is so cool! Next thing Elder Reed is fantastic.  He is working so hard at trying to get this whole missionary thing down.  Even though at times is takes patience he really is a stud and is going to be a great missionary.  Amis in general are doing well and we feel like we know them really well to a point where we know how to them instead of just reciting or teaching lessons.  It has taken a while to get to this point but it is nice to have gotten a lot closer and closer every rendez-vous.  I feel like i know each one of them really personally now.  The ward is doing fantastic.  They are so enthuiastic to try and do missionary work.  This week the Elders Quorum President is going to take us to his friends house to teach her. And there are going to be a lot more activities at the church so that more people will be able to come to see the ward and everything.  I am really proud of the steps that ward has been taking to try and reach the goals that have been set!  They are great! 

So yes this weeks miracle!  So we had things set up last tuesday to go see a potential investigator at 1:00 and then another investigator at 3:00.  Well the first guy didn't show up! so we decided to pass by the other guys house early so that if that fell through we could go to another city we work in about an hour away.  So we go by and he's not there so we couldn't leave and all we had let to do was go contacting or something like that.  Well so on the door there was this enormous Spider!  So i took a picture of it and all that jazz and the lady in the apartment next door comes out and asks what i am doing and i told her that i just thought the spider was cool.  She then proceded to ask who we were yadda yadda yadda She ended up telling us that is super believing and faithful to the virgin mary.  ok so we said hey do you have this guy next door's number? She said yes i do.  she gave us that number so we could call him.  SHE THEN PROCEDED TO GIVE 4 OTHER NUMBERS OF FRIENDS SHE HAD THAT WE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD WHO WANTED TO HEAR ABOUT CHRIST!!!!!!! She was so AWESOME! She then preceded to show us where they all lived too!  Mind you this lady is old!  Ok she is 92!!!!! And she is just looking so good like i thought she was late 70's maybe! So she was so cool.  Oh yes and the catch is that this lady, she was a NUN!!!! LOL a two-timing NUN! WHAhahaha!!!! So out of the people she gave us there was only family that was interested but this portuguese family is so fantastic!  It is a Mother and her 17 year old daughter.  We are seeing them tonight too.  This will be the third time in one week that we'll have seen them.  So great.  Pray for Joana and Vanessa.  They are so special.  

So that is about it for right now!  I miss you all so much and i love you all!  Have a great halloween!  I'll play along next year!

Elder Hoopes 

Me and Quazi

Our Pumpkins

The Heaven Sent Spider

The Louvre Museum we passed by last week in Paris

View from the neighboorhood of the Louvre

Hello!

Wow.....Well a lot of things have been happening back home.  Ha i loved getting the family letter and seeing how everyone is doing and seeing that that is actually a reality and not just a past life lol.  It was so much fun and i wouldn't mind if you guys put my letters in there along with all of the other letters.  I don't know how to do it myself. Also seeing Garret in the MTC is super fun!  Just to think over a year ago i was there. Lets pray he has an uplifting experience.  Better than mine at least.  I learned good things but still had a tough time. Anyway next thing. I was shocked to hear about the passing of Brother Brinton in Our ward.  I am still really stunned and i can't believe it happened.  This week i had an uneasy feeling that something happened this past week back home.  So i have been anxious to see the emails this week and sure enough.  Please past my remorse and my feeling on to them and their family.

Onto the mission field.  Training is an experience not gonna lie.  Wow so many questions to answer so much instructing, so much everything.  I feel the responsibilty that rests on my shoulders to be a good Trainer and it really is heavy.  I want my boy to be super and just have the best mission ever.  Maybe this is what being a parent feels like a little bit. HAHA I think maybe just a bit. Ha i honestly thank you guys for being so patient with me through my childhood/adolescence. Just thought i needed to throw that one in there.  But things are going well.  We are working really hard and there are good things happening.  We met a man contacting last week who is from Ireland Who speaks French Fluently and is a student.  We get to see him tonight as a matter of Fact.  It is awesome being able to be a missionary in English sometimes.  We were able to convey our feelings and our love in the best way we knew how, In English!  Elder Reed was having blast with it!  Then there is another Lady we are teaching with Portugese origins but has been in France for 7 years and understands french with ease.  She is great!  She is a young mother and has two boys!  So we will teach her tonight as well and i think that should go really well. On verra bien.  Ha Elder Reed is So Boss! He has invited each one of our amis to baptism!  Each have said yes and so now it is up to us to pick out a date which would best suit them.  I am so proud of him.  He is really working so hard!But yeah that is about it for the moment.  By the way Dad sorry i took forever to email you back but i got the debit card early last week but never had the chance to tell you but yes it is here and i love me some Larry Fitzgerald!  Ha I also was going to ask who was in the World Series and so thanks for the Update.  Keep me up to date with all the Baseball happenings.  I am really missing baseball not gonna lie.  Rangers have evidently made some crazy good strides these past couple years!  Go RANGERS!  Also just to let you know it is starting to get really cold here in Compiègne so i am going to need to get some warm clothes.  I am going to just need some garments which i can buy online don't worry about that, i just need a couple dollars.  I think i should have sufficient but just letting you know. Mom also i am so excited to hear about how good preperations are going for the 3 day walk.  Keep it up and know how proud i am of you and how much i feel Margot appreciates you and the rest of the girls.  Keep working hard.  Hunter don't give up in School!  Erica sounds nice.  I'd like a picture please.  Also does she have any awesome 19-21 year old sisters who are gorgeous and who would like to write a missionary in France who speaks french and plays drums and can cook?  If so my address is 136 Rue Victor Hugo, 60280 Margny-Les-Compiègne.  Thanks.  HAHA i think all the other girls from back home are moving onto other not french speaking, nor me boyfriends.  ANYWAY i love you all Carson keep doing awesome in Baseball! and Connor keep staying super Vailiant!  I love you all 


Goodbye!
Elder Hoopes 

After Contacting For three Hours we had a strong desire for Sorbet.....don't Judge

Hi

Yeah so i don't have that much to write about.  Things are going good you all know that i am training ummmmm.....yeah i don't know haha.  Last week turned out not being that great. It was good but we have about 7 or 8 rendez-vous fall through and almost every number we recieved was a bad one so that was kinda of really annoying but it is ok.  Also patrick our baptism fell through.  He said that he is "to busy" and that he is "to stressed" to that I say that is "TO BAD!" He was actually extremely difficult and i am just praying that he comes around and realizes that this is more than just an event. Also we got dropped by one of our families because the father of the family told the mother that she couldn't let us teach any more.  So yeah that was difficult also.  Honestly we are facing a lot of adversity.  Not to much but definately some.  I want my blue to come in with such an awesome work load and have an expercience like i did in his blueville.  So yeah that is about it for opposition, well "big" opposition.

I am so stoked for my blue i can't even explain.  I know there are at least two frenchies but there is a tahaittian, new zelander, and a couple from south america, and only one american.  I don't know who it is yet but i am excited to find out that is for sure!!!!  It is going to be such a blast.  Also it is comforting knowing that i will be here at least until January.  I know i will be here for all the holidays and everything like that so there wont be any confusion of if i'll move or not.  So yeah i am excited and i hope that i can be a good trainer and district leader.  I am nervous.  Fun stuff!Also yesterday i got an awesome phone call from an unexpected person!  Haha I was at a members house and the phone rang and Elder Wood answered it and then passed it to me and said i think it is someone french.  I was confused but then i answered it and this person then said some inside jokes and stuff and i then realized that it was Lucas and Rachel!!!!! LOL they called me! Lol so they were super excited i was so happy to hear from them! So they are all like "well when we come to the states i think that we are gonna need 3 buddy passes if you could do that." I was like why would you and rachel need to have 3.....omg.......Lucas tell me if it's what i...... Omg i don't want to assume here this could be touchy.....!!!!....Tell rachel to tell me why! HAHA....So then she said I'm PREGNANT!!!! HA I was so Happy for them and Lucas was so proud!!! Ha it was such a good little phone call and it was definately the highlight of the week next to hearing I was training! They were so happy and it meant so much to me that they wanted to call and tell me personally! Ha Lucas was all "you are gonna be an uncle you know?!" i hope you can change diapers!" Ha It was so good and the best part is that she will be due in July!  Right before i go home!  So i think either we'll see them right before or hopefully right after she has the baby!  How fun?! I was so stoked! Well anyway so i thin that is about it that happened this week.  I will have lots of pictures and news for you next week! Also thank you for the package.  Me and my companion loved it.  Thank you so much for everything you do for me and all the love you show me.


Avec Tout Amour,
Elder Hoopes

It's A CANADIEN!!!‏

Yes i am now a father in the mission!  My son's name is Elder Reed and he is from Calgary, Alberta, Canada!  My son is so great!  Super BLUE but i love him!  He has so much faith and so much confidence in himself even though he is totally new!  He also is picking up french already which is good.  President Poznanski called us up to see how he was doing and to see if we was speaking as much french as possible.  Elder Reed said "i'm doing my best, English doesn't seem to working to well!" HAHA oh son....  Me and him are really trying to speak as much french outside of the apartment as possible so that he can get used to it a little bit more.  But i have a lot of confidence in him already.  He has awesome drive and is super open to any miracle.  He has no preconceived notions of the French and is willing to do all it takes to baptize.  That's my BOY!  Also one of the most difficult and irritating things that we have to do as missionaries can be companionship study.  He rocks at it.  We have such a great study together.  It is also nice having the new trainer program to go along with in our efforts.  I feel like i am getting back to the basics and this program is more so to train trainers what they wanted their trainers to be when they got out into the field.  This is honestly going to be great.

Unfortunately me and him are a bit ill for the moment.  He is having cold/flu like symptoms and has hardly slept at all this week.  I have a sore neck, tight throat, head ache and some congestion.  On verra bien.  I hope it nothing to sreious.  I know that i am already fed up with it! Things have slowed down a little here but that does give us more time to find people and get things started.....AGAIN. But we'll just pray and hope for the best.  But yeah that is about it for this week. It's been great getting a new companion who is full of life and ready to go and do the Lord's work.  I think everything else is going good for the moment.  Thank you DAD for sending the new card.  I will let you know when i get it.  Thank you for all you do and i hope everyone is doing well also.  I love you all!

Love like a lot,

Elder Hoopes

Elder Awerkamp, me, Son, Elder Nelson!

Elder Keussling, Elder Kellet (his father), me and Son

FIRST PHOTO!

Us at Pierrefonds today

YES

Transfer News

Hey ok so i got the transfer news and this is going to be exciting! I am training and becoming the district leader!!!! How cool is that!?  Also in this new group of missionaries there are 11, and only one is american!  How awesome!? So yes i am staying until at least Jan 2nd for sure.  They are starting a new missionary program where the Missionaries stay two transfers with their trainer so yes i'll be here a bit longer!

Love you all,
Elder Hoopes

Quoi de neuf?

Cathédrale de Senlis

Bonjour Tout le monde! comment allez-vous?! I am doing well!  I am happy that is the last week of the transfer.  I should be resting here which is super nice and i am excited to see what happens.  The fun thing about transfers is you never know what will happen.  On verra bien.  So yeah i wanted to start out by saying really quick.  About the the package you are sending, i am not the biggest fan of peanut m&m's. I can get that stuff here in france as well. The candy i can't get here are butterfingers, reeses, and starbursts, skittles, and smarties. Most other things i can.  Just letting you know.  I just thought it'd be better to tell you i am not a fan than have you keep buying them.  Also i have two bags remaining of the spitz dill pickle seeds so if you could send some Jim Bean Barbeque kind from circle K that would be great.  That is about it though.  and thank you for the peppermint patties.  I love those frozen!  Haha and i want to give some to my comp because they are his favorites. If you slip in a butterfinger and peanut butter twix that'd be good too.  Yeah so umm and Oh yeah my card.  I hope that dad can figure that out! 

So yes i thought it'd be good to start out talking about conference.  It was so great honestly!  I loved it and was sad when it was over.  The prophet had some great talks and i loved Elder Holland's, Bednar's and Brother Callister's Talks!  They just laid it down.  I felt inspired and wanting to be better afterwards.  It was also a nice reminder of how the church really is.  On the mission for me at least i have been soaking up the scriptures!  LIKE SOAKING UP!  The funny thing is i miss the messages for me quite often because i think about amis, and people who we meet on the road.  It is alw(dangit i just hit the send button on accident)ays nice to hear the prophets speaking to me in ENGLISH!  ALL CHURCH THINGS THAT WE DO ARE IN FRENCH!!!!  All zone, district, and church meetings are in french and it is true sometimes it is harder to recognize the spirit in a different language.  I understand the language really well and all but feeling it is something else.  So yeah I really enjoyed conference and am sad that it is over.  I only have one left.  And so does Hunter before he leaves on his mission!  Oh great is that!  Also you know what i thought about.... I thought it was fun that mom listened to Priesthood Meeting because Elder Holland's call for more senior missionaries made me think one of Grandma and Grandpa but also YOU mom and dad!  You guys would be so great somewhere!  That honestly would be so much fun!  Also During this general conference me and my Companion mad pancakes for the entire ward and told them to invite their friends!  It turned out being a really good success.  There were three amis who came and also a couple less actives which is SO GOOD!!!!  They also loved the pancakes and ate so many. It was so american! Haha So yeah anyway those are my thoughts on conference!So as far as the work in Compiègne goes.  Things are going good.  I think i have finally fallin into a good rythme of contacting people.  before i was always a little nervous but after seeing many different spectrums it is feeling more natrual to stop anyone.  I think i mentioned how we've been trying to stop every lady with a stroller, well that is going well and i feel almost an impulse to contact them when we are driving or in the train or something like that.  It's funny.  We also this week have really been putting in the effort to set up rendez-vous on the spot so that contacting them later doesn't become the issue.  This next we have 5 rendez-vous set up with people we met contacting.  SO that is good.  Our amis are doing well also.  Patrick will get baptized the 16th as planned and as far as the other two, they need to be more solid.  Right now we are teaching Two families.  One with 4 kids and one with 6.  How awesome would that be to get them all baptized!  Oh i am excited!  So yes i think that is it.So yeah i am so grateful for conference!  the Paris temple was announced (mentioned) and i feel like the situation there is a little like the Phoenix Temples.  And the temple being annouced for Kinshasa! Wow..... I'm going to be so honest.  The africans i have met NOT ALL but most from KInshasa are some of the laziest people on the planet.  I am so glad that the missionaries there are having a better time with them than we are here.  Congolese people can be difficult.  But not ALL.  Just some.  But honestly to hear that the blessings of the Lord are literally stretching out to all the world is such a blessing.  I love IT!  But yeah i think that is it for now. Thank you for your prayers.  I love you and miss you deeply (but not to deep) ;)  Thanks for everything you do for me!  Elder Hoopes

ITS GOT PATRICK AND ME ON IT!!!!

My new Shirt! Thanks AMBER!!!!

Hey so yeah just real quick feel free to send my emails to whoever you want you don't have to keep the stuff for example that are directed at each family member but yeah i don't mind i'd love for the family to receive the emails.

Anyway ok so comme j'ai bonjour!  How is everyone doing!  I saw that carson was doing work on the baseball field!  I couldn't be more proud of that beast!!!!  And i loved hearing about the visit to see the family!  this last week was like a giant hoopes family gathering!  I love that!  Ha Dad i think that is great you got to go see grandma and grandpa!  If you did that to me i would be confused, happy, then mad!  Ha they are lucky that they have more liberties with family because i know for us missionaries we have to compartmentalize our thoughts because if we think to much of home that can take us over and then it is difficult!  But for them they can do whatever they want!  Seniors are so lucky!  And all i could say when they got mexican food was just.....of course they would! HAHAHA I figuered they would've already found their place there!  So good!  I am so thankful for grandparents on a mission though because seriously they are so fun to talk about out here.  When i say that my grandparents are serving a mission everyone gets so excited and thinks that is like the funnest thing!  So yeah i love that and i am so glad to hear how well garret's farewell talk went.  I think that he is going into David Kingsley's mission if you remember my red haired friend! But yeah so good for him honestly!  I am so happy to know that he is going on a mission.  I hope the family knows how much i miss them and think about them!  They really are so great!

So mission time things are still going well.  Remember that one miracle i shared last week? Yeah he is the worst!!!!!!  He wanted to have a rendez-vous just to get his hands on a Book of Mormon just so he could tear it apart and prove to us all the false doctrines that we believe.  I am so glad he was courageous enough to try and save our souls from the horrible hell that awaits us for following the devils church.  what a sweet kid.....  Honestly he just tore it apart and i just looked at him directly in the eyes the entire time speechless.  My comp did a good job at keeping things under control because i nearly flipped the table and went off in his face.  UGH!!!!!  Such a waste.  This kid would've been great.  The saddest part is that in all the things he said, he was wrong!  Not even in interpretations of scripture but just pure fact and common knowledge.  I was so thankful for the fact i read the new testament and spent time with annette in Limoges.  Nothing he said was new to me.  It's no wonder there are thousands of Churchs on the earth. Their attempt at salvation is said without the restored priesthood.  good luck nelson!

On a bright note we have 3 baptismal dates as of last sunday.  We are working with this family and we've only set a date with the Husband.  The three kids and wife are soon to follow i hope.  Another is young student who is super cool!  I really see him having the biggest potential and then there is patrick who we saw this weekend.  This weekend was the baptism of an ami from soissons but who is taught by the elders of Meaux.  That being Elder gull and my favorite missionary ever ELDER NELSON from the MTC!  It was great to see tham and to also see patrick all excited about the baptism!  So yes they are doing well.  We are making more efforts to baptize here in compiègne!  I know it will sound crazy but i want to have ten people baptized here before i leave.  I don't know i just want to see that happen and to be honest i think it can!  We will see what the Lord has in plan for us.  I honestly am still loving the mission!  Honestly things can get hard here in the field but after 2 days or so things work out and you realize that there is nothing to worry about.  We are just sticking to it and i hope that all will continue to go well.  

So yes i think that is all.  Couple things connor getting a concussion!  Ouch!  I hope that he is ok!  Garments. If they didn't work out send them to the mission home instead or even here if you want.  So yeah!  Tell everyone hello for me and that i would love to hear from them because i would!    I love you all!

Love, Elder Hoopes

P.S i'm online :)

A butterfly i saved!

Ball Room at Napoleon's Palace

Emperess's Room!

Napoleon's bed room

Notre Dame de Paris

Old Destroyed Longpont Abbey

Bonjour Bonjour Bonjour!

Hello everyone! So yeah things here are going really well.  I think me and my comp have found a good click and so we are really riding on that and now things are going super well.  The work here is really starting to blosom!  It is nice because i am starting to get concerned with being able to actually fit in all the rendez-vous that we need and that has only happened in a 3 week space of time. It is so nice. Within the past 3 weeks we have gotten 15 new numbers and have 7 new amis 3 of which are families and 3 others are missionary age!  I am so pumped to see what happens here in Compiègne.  It is so good honestly.  We are really seeing the hand of the Lord in the work here.  For example take this last saturday.  We went contacting in the road and we're talking and talking and finally i contact this girl and in the middle of the contact this man walks up in between the contact and starts talking with us because he knew the missionaries and likes talking to them in English.  So i was not happy at all.  the girl left and i lost the contact.  I was just like thinking to myself this guys is crazy and he is just wasting our time, which he was in fact. I told you how i have made a goal to contact every family i see with a stroller or something to that extent, well while takling to this guy 5 Families walked by!!!!! 5!!!!!  Ugh and he was so blind.  He just kept saying i want to stay free.  Religion locks you down.  So i used the kite analogy that dad always says in regarding to anything political and i asked him if being an anarchist would really mean you were free.  He understood but was very closed to the idea of being happier in his life. Tant pis! (to bad) So i left talking to him upset and just expressing myslef to Elder Wood and i was just done contacting.  So we were heading home and as we were walking i got this impression to not let this young man who was walking towards us go by with out asking about prophets.  I said "ok" and just contacted him in the middle of my frusturation and as soon as i oped my mouth in French all the feeling i had just flew away and i started talking to this guy.  So i said

-"Hello we are missionaries The Church of Jesus Christ and we are talking with people about what they believe.  Are you believing?

-Yes i am

-Great what do you believe in?

-Oh i am protestant

-That's Great! Have you ever wondered why prophets are no longer on the earth?

-Actually i was just posing myself that question.

(.........Oh my gosh)

-We are here to testify that there are still prophets on the earth.

-I am going to the post office would you like to come with and after we could talk in the park?

-Of Course!!!!

So we go with him talk to him and turns out that this guy had had a religious revival you could say in his life and just need God and so converted protestant only a year before.  After a little while he realized he never found what he was looking for.  After presenting the restoration he was super interested and wanted to talk more!  How awesome is that!!!! So yeah that is our big story this week.  We are planning on having 4 new investigators this week and shooting for 12 new numbers!  We'll see what happens!  Also i have never mentioned yet but there is an ami with a baptismal date in Soissons area that we are teaching and we will be baptizing him the 15th of October.  And we are hoping for more soon.  We have almost a sure potential of 4 baptisms in The next two to three months! so yeah things are going well.  By the way Soissons is a city in the department next door.  There are no longer missionaries there so we are in charge of the branch and some of the amis over there.  We were actually there yesterday for church!  So fun.  In the branch there are only 10 adults and close to 30 children!  It is out of control.  And after not seeing the missionaries for a long time they were so excited to see us and we just talking with us all during church! But yeah so that is Compiègne right now!  I am loving it.

So other things.  I have been running 2 miles every morning and i am already losing weight!!! I started seeing signs of stretch marks and i panicked into a running frenzy!  Haha and i should get your letter today mom and thank you for sending the others!  Keatons story.... Too Hilarious!  The poor kid! Does allison know?! HAHAHAHA too good.  Dad, I dream in english and french most of the time in english.  But it has gotten to the point were in my dreams i sometimes i can't tell.  The language is doing really well and i feel very confident in that respect.  I can translate French to English really well now.  So yeah that is going really well. but yeah anyway i hope that everything is going well.  I miss you all a ton but i realized that i will be home in 6 transfers. Crazy sauce!  Life is going well and i love you all

A bientôt,

Elder Hoopes