End of the Transfer Start of the New one Email!

Well hey!  So right now it is easter monday and everything is closed here the only place that is open is this creepy dungeons and dragons gamer cybercafe where we can do our emails!  I am surrounded by fat, smelly, 40 year old men playing world of war craft.  Sad life.  Anyway this here are going great.  I dont know why you guys haven't gotten my package yet.  Aftie just got some Chocolates that i sent so maybe it is just delayed.  the French Post isn't what we'd call state of the Art but it works.  honestly i think what the problem is is that it has gotten held up at customs in the states.  I sent it and on the customs declaration i didn't write with a ball point pen in some parts. it was just on the important parts you know like a return address and what was inside where i wrote in ink instead of the Ball point pen. so yeah i hope it gets there.  The post in Cherbourg stamped it so i know they cleared it but who knows.  I hope you get it soon.  I am so happy to hear how busy Dad is and i am so happy to hear about all the fun emotions at the Easter Pageant.  

Those missionaries there don't know how blessed they are to have an easter pageant!  I don't think they realize the blessing it is to be state size.  Europe is a tough place for so many different reasons.  Absolutely worth it but so difficult at the same time.  When people fall out of the church here it is not an easy fall.  They just try to take everyone down with them! Honestly the Church here in Europe is so fragile and it is in large part because people here are so sceptecal (i dont know how you spell that) of religion thanks to a church "who cannot be named."  However the Lord wants this place to be strong and so we will keep working as hard as we can.  This transfer we finished with a big 53 lessons!  I am so happy with that!  We taught only 3 in week one and know this week and last we taught 14 and 13!  How cool!?  I won't attempt to compare our numbers with those of South America and The U.S But for us in our situation we are doing really well.  We lead our district in numbers and that is so cool.  We are really just working the best we can and letting God take care of the miracles.  Sorry that was me going on a tangent.  Sorry.

But this week like i said was so great.  We found out that Elder Silvester will now be moving to Troyes the furthest East in our mission until July!  He is going with a swiss missionary!  That is something he really needed because his french needs work and he will excel so much faster with a francophone companion.  Me i am going Senior Comp on Elder Awerkamp who is actually from Arizona too!  One of 6 in the Mission and 2 of them are in Limoges WOO HOO!!!!  He is from Gilbert and graduated from Mesquite.  Maybe i played him in Baseball!?  He knows the members of a band i played a concert with.  Pawn takes King!?  Does that ring a bell?  It was one of the only shows where we played on a stage in a backyard!?  any way he knows them!  so i am stoked!  I am so ready for a change.  It has been a tiring transfer.  So yeah he leaves Wednesday.  Also this week we taught 13 lessons and also had one of the best sacrament lessons i have ever attended.  I dont know why but it was so spiritually nourishing.  I loved it and felt so good inside after.  Sacrament meetings like that are so good.  Also at Sacrament was one of our Amis Ahmada.  Let me tell you about ahmada.

Ahmada has an amzing spirit.  Ahmada came here from the Comoro Islands.  he came here in search of a better life but didn't do all the research neccesary.  He got here and couldn't do anything.  He had no legality at all.  He has no where to live or to eat.  He however continues to search where to eat and to sleep.  Luckily for him He has a good base of Native Commorians who are here also but they are all muslim.  We contacted Ahmada and mentioned a living prophet and immediately he was hooked.  He has been searching for the truth and until then didn't know where to find it.  This has been such a blessing for him but the thing is, is that, that is creating tension between him and all of his muslim friends.  He has now been kicked out of two homes because they dont like him and his new found belief.  Understand that Ahmada is the nicest guy and wouldn't hurt a fly.  He was kicked out of the one house because he asked the people if they could be quiter because it was really loud for him at 3 in the morning.  They Kicked him out.  Next home he asked the same question to some visitors in the apartment.  They kicked him out.  Then Saturday night he recieved a call that his grandson had died.  Ahmada can't catch a break but still is trying all that he can to retain the teachings and become a member.  Never take for granted the blessing of the church in our lives.  We live such an easy life compared to some and even though some people just have different struggles we must always be grateful.  If my mission has taught me anything so far, it has taught me that this is Gods true church on the Earth and that i can never ever again take it for granted.  Love the gospel and give all that you can to be a missionary.  Give those who don't have the Gospel the only chance they may ever get by sharing it with them.  I love you all and am so thankful for your prayers.  I can feel your love always.  Even though i am far away i feel very close in love and spirit.  Happy Easter!  Take maybe a little time if you haven't already on what the Lord sacrificed for you.  Think of all you can be because of him!  I like that thought!  Lol!  I love you and pray for you daily!

TTYL

Elder Hoopes

Bonjour Bonjour!

Wow so things this week were incredible!  We got so much done and this week we had so many blessings poured out on us!  Oh it was so good!  As far as unusual things like getting my thumb sucked by a gold fish or hit on by a crazy new caledonia chick, this week was pretty boring but as far as blessings it was so good.

This week in our district we decided that in order to reach our goal we had set for a district we needed to get to work and each equipe teach 14 lessons.  We thought it wouldn't be possible but we took courage and hope and decided to make it happen.  Elder Silvester and I both took our goal to the Lord and asked for his help to accomplish this challenge.  We knew that we could only achieve this goal with the Lord's help.  So we went to work!  We called every potential investigator all of our other amis and all of our current amis and took also every oppurtunity on the bus and at bus stops to talk to people and now.....we HIT OUR GOAL!!!!!  We had set our numbers previous to Elder Darguence's challenge so we surpassed them pretty largely but this next week we are really hoping for the same results.  Nothing feels better than put all the effort you can to do the Lord's work.....even if it gets tiring.  

I am doing much better myself.  I have refound my testimony and i have found a strong drive to work hard but also relax.  I've taken time to let my mind slow down instead of constantly thinking thinking thinking! Walking by the river here and also having rendez-vous outside is really helping.  Also something i have started doing is just being open and honest with my feelings.  If something is bothering me i say it and if i feel like i am starting to get angry or frusturated i just take things a little slower.  Also something that is helping is not always punishing myself if i feel like i am not doing what's right.  I have really stopped being so annalytical and that is actually helping me grow and have more room for spiritual revelation.  I feel much more guided right now.  

Well yeah that is me right now!  It is the last week of the transfer so i will have news for you on saturday!  I think elder Silvester is outta here but we'll see.  Anyway for the moment i think that is all!  Thank you for your prayers and support!  I got the post card from bellingham today and that was so good thank you so much!  I love you all!  a bientot!

Elder Hoopes

Good Day!

Well this stinks i couldn't get the keyboard to change into an english format.  So ok well this week was a really good week.  We were extremely blessed.  Along with being blessed I was hit on by a lady from New Caledonia, Met a portuguese guy named Elder, had my finger sucked by a fish named Josephine, went up to Tours and also had an exchange with our French District Leader.  ok so starting off with the latest details.

On monday after we went into do our emails we went to the big fish aquarium here and they let us put our hands into the tanks and the fish came and sucked on our fingers. It was really cool!  Then we had our District Meeting in Poitiers on tuesday.  Wednesday we had a couple rendez-vous but nothing to crazy happened.  Then Friday we went to Tours for our interviews with our President and we also got some good training.  Within the Trainings i found more answers to My Prayers.  Then on Saturday i had my exchange with Elder Darguence who is a french elder and who is really fun!  He is so good to be zith because he speaks really good french obviously and he is so bold and is not afraid of the french people like we are sometimes (they can be vicious).  So i really learned alot and grew with him.  He really helped my french and also with him we were able to teach 3 lessons. So yeah it was rocking.  I have to be honest it was such an incredible break from my comp.  Honestly i feel like i am a trainer out here with him.  He doesn't hardly do anything and it isn't because he is lazy he just doesn't know how to work and that can be difficult.  he is older than me and still can't speak french so it can be hard. So anyway it was great with Elder Darguence. Ummmmm Yeah interviews with president also were really good. he told me a lot of things that i needed to here and also he answered a lot of my prayers.  Right now i feel like working hard but also i am not stressed.  I think Heavenly Father is helping me better compartmentalize my thoughts.  But yeah that is about it.  I also need to get going becquse i dont have alot of time to write.  Anyway I love you All and hopefully next week i will have more time!  I love you

Elder Hoopes

Salut!

Hey Everyone!  WEll yeah so this was such a great weekend that helped me in more ways than i thought imaginable.  As to insight on why i was having a tough week these past two weeks and all was a lot of complications.  This work is the greatest work one the planet and i wouldn't trade it for anything but at times satan really likes to take a huge bat to the knees of those who are really trying to progress God's work.  He is good at what he does and at times it takes a little time to recover.  Nothing imparticular ever happened it just gets difficult dealing with stress, persecution at times (nothing harmful Mom :) ), living in a completly foreign country and not hearing from those you love on a weekly basis gets heavy at times.  I am finding out that the keys to being a good missionary are being focused on what is most important and compartmentalizing thoughts and feelings.  Mastering these things really brings a much better spirit into the work.  General Conference this weekend was such an amazing medicine.  I needed to hear certain talks and it was such an incredible response to my prayers.  I was extremely touched by the two talks by President Uchtdorf and Elder Bednar's talk.  President Eyring and The Prophet gave special talks also.  I was so touched and it was just what i needed.

So this week was an eventful one.  I got really sick on thursday and also finally got legal in France on Friday.  We had exchanges with our Zone leaders and also we had some really good Rendez-vous with Frederic and another man we met named Najib.  So work down here has been slow but starting to pick up a little by little.  At times i feel like the world is on my shoulders because i have to not only lead the work down here but at the same time i don't know the ville or all of the other people here yet.  The ward is big and even though i have met every one i don't know there names yet.  It is stressful not going to lie.  I never realized the balance i had in my other companionships.  So that lasted up until wednesday when i had an exchange with one of my Zone Leaders Elder Butel who is just phenomenal.  He really let me talk and express how i was feeling and i was able to really relax something i desperately needed.  However i started to feel sick and i was worried i was starting to come down with the flu.  It has gone from hot and dry to cold and wet in just a couple days here and that got to me i think.  So i called Sister Stahelli and she advised me it would be best to stay inside and rest.  So i got some rest but was decomissioned (Ha) for one full day.  The Next day we were suppose to go up to Orleans to do my legality and get my stamp on my passport so i needed to get better to pass my medical visit and to actually be able to do the rendez-vous.  I got a blessing from a member and my companion and the next day i was feeling great and to full strength.  

So we went up to Orleans and there we needed to do like i said my legality.  We met up with Elder Paul and his new Companion who was down from Cherbourg for the same exact thing.  So that was really fun getting to see him again.  We went to our Medical visit and our other appointments for our legality and i passed and now have legality in France.  WOO HOO!!!!  When they took my weight it gave a number i was so happy to see!  198lbs or 90 Kgs!  I was so stoked OH YEAH!!!!!!!  I am finally under 200lbs for the first time since my sophmore year!  How cool!  So yeah  That made my day.  We then headed back to our villes and had a great weekend that was general conference!  Because of the time schedule i couldn't see the sunday afternoon session but all the other sessions, i did see and they were so great!  I was so touched By Elder Bednars talk.  He litterally talked to me personally.  So yeah it was wonderful.

That is about it for this week!  thank you so much for the Package!  I loved it so Much!  i can't stop eating the Smarties and Cheezits!  They remind me so much of home!  Also i am all out of mexican Hot Sauce!  I need more!  I love you all so much!  I hope that my package got to the house.  There are good things inside.  Well i miss you all so much.  i hope that Heavenly Father is blessing you guys back home and know how much i pray for all of you!  I love you!  Ttyl!

Elder Jonathan Hoopes