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