Well Hello from Limoges!

So i am simply gonna start out by saying that sometimes the mission field can be one of the hardest places to be.  This week has been tough but i am getting through it.  I don't know why exactly it all happened but this week has been filled will all sorts of things that has made it hard to focus and to do missionary work.  It hasn't blocked me but at the same time is has been a heavy boulder on my shoulders.  I have really had to pray for the Lord's Help and he has been helping me.  today i am feeling so much better but last week was just a dark spot that i don't want to see again. I am so thank ful for Church too beacuse sometimes that is the best medicine for spiritual drowziness....if that is how you spell it.  I dont know it can just be tough.  I think it is funny how mom could tell that things were a little tough for me this last week.  You have some serious mom vibes you know that.  

All in all however this last week was decent and was productive.  We finally got some good numbers and have increased our ami pool which was incredibly dry so on verra.  WE also met a man on Monday named frederic who was interested in the Church and so we fixed a RDV with him and then that night also fixed a Baptismal date for him!  How cool.  He needs to stop smoking big time so keep him in your prayers.  But he is a really cool guy.  He is french Vietnamesse if that is how you spell it.  Also we just got a media referal today so maybe we will go see this guy today i dont know all in all it is cool and the Lord is really blessing the people of Limoges.  I like it.  I also love the weather here.  It has been warm in fact it is exactly like Arizona right now just french and awesome.  Mom also in response to your question France is super beautiful.  The region i am in is so gorgeous.  Just forests and rolling hills except these forests and full of trees other than pine trees.  They are so legit not gonna lie!  So i can promise you that you will love this place a ton. Qlso when i came down here i did have to travel alone but i had help getting through paris and everything like that.  ummmm yeah!

So honestly that is about it for now.  I do have some questions.  One when is scouts birthday? I dont know if we have really ever celebrated it.... hahaha and yeah that is it ha.  Um oh yeah also here i watch general conference in the evening for the morning sessions and all other sessions are rebroadcasted.  I get to watch it down here with the magnificent ward here!  Anyway I need to go because my time is running out but i love you all and i am so proud of who you are to me in my life.  I love you

Elder Hoopes

Steve Nash MVP!!!

Bonjour bonjour bonjour bonjour bonjour bonjour de Limoges!!!!!

Well hi!  So some good things have happened!  It was kinda tough leaving Cherbourg and to travel 8 hours by train and haul around two really heavy suitcases but on a bright note Limoges is really COOL!!!!!  It is a 4 flower ville meaning that a board of people got together and decided how to rate a ville on its look and style tourist attractions and some other little things and 4 is the highest!  Woo hoo!  Blois and Cherbourg were also 4 flower villes!  So yeah i have been pretty lucky!  My new companion Elder Silvester is a great guy and is not how i expected.  I thought he was weird when really he was super positive and i was the weirdo because i wasn't as cheerful as him.  He has so much optimism and always stays postive and makes me feel loved.  Even though we are from really different worlds, he is only from provo but still, he is a lot like me!  So yeah it is going good already!  And the Ward is absolutely outstanding!!!!!  Goodness Gracious i love being in a ward.  I can actually see a large group of worthy worshiping members!  It is so great i can't even explain.  And the building here is so pretty!  It is just like an american building except it doesn't look like all the american ones if that makes sense.  Ha funny thing though hahaha our bishop has a funny name.  Like a really funny name and i figure i tell you now so you don't think i am swearing later.  His name is Frère Jacas, and it is pronounced EXACTLY like the swear....  It is pretty funny and i need to just get used to it but is so funny!  Also there are quite a bit of spanish members here!  I need to know the last name and the name of Rosa's branch in Catalonia!  Thanks ha!  Also mom you would be so proud of me I cook all of the meals and i have came up with some really cool recipes on my own!  They are all pretty healthy too! 

 

So work in Limoges has been really slow for a while now and i am determined as is Elder Silvester to change it around.  To many missionaries have come thrrough here with a complacent mind set and i am not going to be like that.  I want this place to turn around like Cherbourg did.  Heavenly father is helping us do our best too.  We have already given out 4 book of Mormons and have gotten 3 numbers from them in just a couple days and have set up two rendez-vous for later on today.  We'll see what happens but i think good thins are going to happen here.  We are going to be obedient and also work our best to Contact and find the people who are ready for the gospel.  Also they people here are SOOOOO much nicer than those in Normandie.  The people there are horrible i guess just vey fenced off and very fixed in their ways here people are very open and almost care free.  Maybe because it is the only city in our mission that was never a part of occupied Germany.  I don't know but i love it.  Honestly things are going good and being with a comp who is in love with Limoges helps a lot too!  He loves this area and is always striving to work his hardest!  So yeah it is pretty cool!  I live right next to a huge Cathedral and next to lots of Churchs and also the place is huge! Well compared to my other villes!  It is about the same size and looks the same as Caen in Normandie.  I love it honestly!

 

So yeah for the moment that is it.  If other things happen i will definately fill you in!  I love you all so much and look forward to hearing back from you!  See Ya.....well in a while but Talk to you later!!!!!

 

Elder Hoopes

Photographic Documentation:

Beach at Becquet

Cathedral next to my apartment

Elder Silvester and I

Epic

Last Day

Sebastian and Soeur Delangle

Strength!

The Train Station Here

WEll My last Monday in Cherbourg

So yeah I am leaving haha it is about time i get out of here.  I am very tired here but i am extremely greatful for the lessons i have learned here in Cherbourg.  To go from nothing to something great in my time here is really cool to see.  My first transfer here i taught 34 lessons.  Second Transfer i taught 35 lessons and found some people and now this transfer we taught 51 lessons!!!!!  WE have been so incredibly blessed i really can't explain in words how amazed i am that we actually pulled off this transfer so incredibly well.  I know have confidence i can go anywhere work my hardest and the blessings will follow naturally! I have no problems lending the reins over to Elder Paul.  He is a great elder and is always trying his hardest.  So we will see.  I also get to go down to Limoges which is beautiful beautiful country side and it is famous for its porcelain!  Kinda cool.  It also is much bigger.  There is close to 200,000 people opposed to Cherbourg's 95,000 people. I am happy with that also it is a beautiful building and a ward down there!!!!! YESSSS!!!!!!  I needed that so badly!  Hahaha

 

Honestly it is nice not having to deal with the stress of serving here anymore.  I love this place to death but you get my drift.  I am sad to leave my amis here but again i have just worked so hard with them and only a couple of them have actually started to progress so it isn't to tough but i will miss them.  I am going to stay in contact with them for sure.  One of the Best goodbye's was the one the football team gave me.  We all took a picture and then all the guys gave me a signed jersey they had all signed and then they also gave me the teams sticker logo!  It is so cool and i miss them already!  Ha when we come back on the mission tour we are going to come back to Cherbourg to Play football with them on the weekend!  And then you can also see how church runs with 16 people!  Woo hoo!  But one of the harder goodbye's was to franck and charlotte.  They have really been like my gaurdien angels here.  They have always helped us out at moments notice and they have always made us feel at home.  I love them and will miss them so so so so so much.  It will be hard leaving the baptismal dates to but at the same time it can be super stressful and i feel good knowing that the most important thing is that i move to limoges and that the lord will make sure that they get baptised.  I love them to death but ca va.  I am going back down to the Orleans Zone which is the zone that Blois is in!  So i might get to have some interaction there.  Also i am going to be serving in the same district and Elder Draleau again which should be really cool.  I missed him a whole lot.

 

Well really that is about it for write now.  Next week is going to be a really good email because i will be telling you about my new situation!  I love you all and wish me luck!  Jusqu'à Lundi!  Bye

 

Elder Jonathan Hoopes

Me and Wilfried

My Grandma watch (yes i wear it!)

The New and improved Team!!! My Boys!

YESSSSSS!

TRANSFER = NEW ADDRESS!

Well we received the transfer email and i will be leaving once again!  I don't know much about my companion but i am going to the lowest spot in the mission!  LIMOGES!!!!

 

My New Address:

 

Elder Hoopes

16, rue de la Cité

87000 Limoges

 

Much easier then my old address!

Alrighty well there is some of information  Love You ALL!!!!

Well Freakin Hey!

So yeah i just got done reading all of the emails and they were freaking awesome.  I was sad to hear about grandma Rowley passing away but the plan of salvation is something that must be remembered.  It gives so much comfort.  Also speaking of God's plan for us, It was so cool to here about Andilyn!!!!!  Welcome to the world little Chou chou!  French things....  Anyway she is welcomed!  What fun news!  Ha also all of the other news from around the house is super funny.  I'm sorry that you are still busy with work mom and DAD!  Geez but thank you for working and sacrificing for all of us!  It means the world to me.  Also i am happy to hear that you had a good birthday mom!  I was really hoping that it would go well!  I love love loved your emails thank you thank you thank you AND......THANK YOU FOR THE FREAKING PACKAGE!!!!! iT WAS LITERALLY AND UNDEFIABLY THE GREATEST EVER!!!!!  I saw the Cheez-its and i about lost it!  I literally screamed for about 37 seconds exactly!  Ha one of the funner moments for me so far.Thank you so much i loved it all so much. I still haven't gotten the shaver charger but Elder Paul has the same kind of Razor that i have so i can charge it on his for the moment.  But yes thank you i love you all!  I need to send a letter to connor and to carson still so i will be getting on the way pretty soon.  Any way thank you for all the emails and messages.  I love them all and right now i am so happy.  Thank you also for putting some much needed money into my account.  I was running low but i have been using it on clothes and things like that literally the essentials. I think i will be ok on shoes for the moment.  I bought a cheaper french pair which is like buying shoes from walmart so we'll see how long those will last.  Hint (birthday) new shoes....eckos from the missionary store size 14 the narrower the better :)  NOT ECHOS with the stupid rhino looking thing on them because those aren't the good kind but the ones from palmeroys or whatever are the good ones.  Don't listen to what the guys say are better.   Just get the Eckos Lol!!!!!  I walk a ton and i have heavy big feet that just tear through shoes.  So yeah thank you. I am trying to be frugal i promise and if that is way to much to do then i will just periodically buy french shoes.  Also there is an umbrella here called a Veritable de Cherbourg and it is the most beautiful umbrella i have ever seen.  It is 110 Euros so i will await your next email to see if i can get that.  At the moment it is not necessary by any means it would be more of a souvenir.  Maybe i can just wait until we do a mission tour.  By the way do you still plan on coming to pick me up?  I would love that.  any way i think that is all the boring stuff now on to my week.

 

So today was fun.  We finally had a fun day because this week has been trying.  We did teach more lesson than normal but it was difficult too.  We got Fruged or cancelled on a whole bunch and also got dropped by claudine my favorite amie.  She had to stop with the lessons because er husband was not happy with her at all....  Also i told you about Sarah who needed us to bless the house?...  Well we went to her house twice and she wasn't there and in between these visits we actually saw her and she is having some problems with the government and her residency all of a sudden.  So we are being tried but I WILL NOT LET CHERBOURG BEAT ME!  Cherbourg has killed lots of missionaries and i am not going to be one of them.  I really real REALLY want to see someone i teach get baptized but that is according to the Lords time and the people agency.  I kinda am not going to talk about Blois for a while or at least the Baptism situation because the two lazy and pagan missionaries there righ now aren't doing crap and Ousmane and Chris have still not been baptized.  I can't stand it.  Max and Harlotte have not been seen by the missionaries and all the other amis were forgotten at the moment so until a good solid missionary goes in there i am going to hold off on talking of them.  Here our ami situation is good but could improve.  We are trying really hard to be obedient and do what is write but sometimes we can only do so much.  We did meet a really cool guy named Sebastian though who is really tight.  WE met him on tuesday and then had a rendez-vous with him the next day!  It went really well so we will see what happens.  I really want to baptize though.  So i just hope and literally pray so hard that that will happen.  I just want someone i love to be baptized!  I guess that is that.  As far as other things not much has happened.  Elder paul is good and works hard.  We work so hard together but sometimes because we have some of the same intrests in music and sports sometimes the spirit of the conversation shifts and i don't like that to much.  But Elder Paul is a really great guy and we are getting along really well.  Almost half way through already!  Haha  We will be in Paris next week and the week after so i am really stoked for that.  But yeah i think that is it for the moment.

 

I really hope all is going super well and you can all feel my love.  I will send letters soon!  I promise!  I love you all!

 

Elder Hoopes

I'm Staying!

 Ok well i am going to stay in Cherbourg!  I am going o be Co comps with Elder Paul!  Love You All!

Elder Hoopes

Elder Jonathan Hoopes 
19, rue au Blé/ Impasse de la Prison
50100 Cherbourg France

Bonjour!

Ok so this email will probably be a lot better than the last one because i can type again on a good computer!  So this week for the most part has been pretty casual.  Not to many things new but there are some cool miracles!  We are still working our hardest and really trying to find those who are ready for the gospel so yeah on vera!  Ok also mom you should be getting a letter in the mail!  Also I AM SO GLAD THAT YOU GUYS FINALLY GOT THE PACKAGE I MAILED!!!!  I know it was kinda dorky but hey whatever it rocks just as hard!  :)  

So ok fun things that happened this week!  They do this thing here in france called Les Galettes de Roi.  They are big pastries with a little prize inside and it is called a feve.  It is in celebration of when the wisemen went and saw Jesus after his birth!  Well  I have know won 4 times!  I have crowns and everything!  Hahaha  that was just a fun little thing.  Also at football this week  I gave out two more Book of Mormon's to the guys!  I am the QB so they listen to me and respect me a lot!  It is really fun getting to play football with them and also be a missionary!  Ha this week i was the only QB and so i was running all the drills with the team and after practice the coach was talking to me and he said that he hoped that i wouldn't leave the Ville because he thinks i am super good!  I love It Woo HOO!  By the way speaking of giving out Book of Mormon's, Me and Elder Draleau have given out thirty since the start of our transfer and that is more than half of all given out by the Zone and mind you we have 6 other companionships in our Zone!  Pretty cool right?!  If it wasn't for the Book of Mormons then we wouldn't be having lots of success.  Cool stories!  

Ok so the First is Sylvie.  We gave her a Book of Mormon two weeks ago.  But after the first time we saw her we didn't see her for about a week and a half because she was out of town and everytime we passed back her house she wasn't there.  Well then a couple nights ago as we were planning Elder Draleau had the impression to pass by the next day at 6:15 exactly!  So we did just that, we went back and knocked her door.  Luckily she was there because she was just about to leave for the night.  We talked to her at the door and asked if she had read at all and she goes, "Well yeah i'm not done yet I've only read half of it so far!  I really like it a lot though."  We were like.......WOW!!!!!!  That hasn't happened to me yet on the mission and it hasn't happened with any of the Book of Mormons yet, like not many people are reading.  So we were so shocked and we are going to see her this Thursday!  

Then we had another pass back with a lady with this lady named Claudine!  She is so cool we taught her one of the best lessons we have ever taught and she got really excited and into the lesson and now we are going to see her on Friday!  It is so cool to see the blessings that come from simple testimony and from really searching for the elect.  Hopefully both of them are super stars!  Also cool news!  Remember Ousmane from Blois?  Well he is going to be baptized this Saturday!  How cool?!  I still am hoping and praying to see a baptism!  It'll come though i know it!

But really that is about it.  Me and Elder Draleau are getting along really well still.  I dont know if i am staying or moving yet so we'll just have to see.  I had the feeling i was staying in Blois and then i movedso you never know.  I'll let you know saturday if i Move!  Well I love you all so much and i hope all is well and that you are all happy and being blessed!  Au Revoir!

Avec L'amour

Elder Hoopes