Hello!

Hello!!  How is everyone doing? I am doing good living the same life as before ha! Just not to many new things have really happened.  pascal is doing well!  the ward is doing a good job at making him feel welcome.  I feel like a parent in the fact that i feel like the ward is never doing enough but in reality Pascal is loving it and is doing really well.  He is still a very new member and so also when we review through the lessons with him i expect him to really understand everything right away but he still is learning.  It is just an interesting mind set i guess. Things are still going great between me and Elder Awerkamp.  We are loving being together.  He is so easy to get along with. 

Oh so good news about Annette.  We got to meet her parents who are so incredibly republican it is crazy!  Lol they remind me of Dad.  However they would be front row at the Republican National convention!  Ha so yes we met them.  It is interesting because they are hard core Baptist and well they don't like Mormons very much...AT ALL! When they found out that Annette was taking lessons from us they fought and eventually her father ended up slapping her.  SO YEAH.....  this was a couple months ago and they have began to see the change in Annette's life and how much happier she is now because of us.  So they finally said they wanted to meet us and so we went over there this past Saturday and they had made us Hot Coco and girl scout cookies and crackers and other little snacks and we just spent a really good moment all together.  They really warmed up to us.  Next week we are going to go and have a pic-nic i think.  they are so incredibly religious it is insane!  they are professors of theology and know the bible so well however something interesting is that when we site Scripture they don't have a uniform response nor do they really see it is as individual principles or Doctrine.  So we are really going to be studying and proving the truthfulness of the church through the bible and New testament backing it up with the Book of Mormon.  I have studied rigorously in the New testament about the need to be baptized, grace and the trinity.  It is embarrassing on their part that they have overlooked  so many simple truths!  they are going to learn a lot i think.  I have grown to love the New testament so much through this.  It is so black and white and really just solidifies the truth and doctrine in our faith. So yes that is the news with them. I really think that is about all that has really happened this week.  I will keep you updates if things change next week of course.  Mom, i am eating well hahaha thank you for the compliment and also you letter is almost done and i will be sending that soon.  Carson's letter was so hilarious!!!!  thank you and hey who won the All-Star Game? also about the new scriptures i already did that for him.  I didn't have his named engraved because i couldn't but still i gave him a really pretty set of scriptures.  Thank you for praying for him and loving him even though you haven't met him.  You will in a Year!  Omg!  I will be on the down hill next letter!  Craziness!  Well alrighty i think that is it for now.  Thank you so much for everything i love you all!

Elder Hoopes