Ya fue 6 meses?!?! [It's already been 6 months??)

Hola mis seres queridos! [my beloved beings]

How's it going? Sounds like everyone's having tons of fun in Idaho and Ohio and stuff! Hope you're all well and that you don't freeze to death. I don't understand what that white stuff is in those fotos you sent...actually this week wasn't that hot here. I actually wore a sweater once. Perhaps it is the blessed autumn coming.

This week we did divisiones with the lideres capacitadoras [trainer leaders?] it was really good and we found a lot of new people to teach. Fun fact, one of our lideres capacitadoras is Hna Musmano, whose family is featured in this months edition of the Liahona because she and 3 of her siblings are all on missions simultaneously.

WELLLLL since you are all wondering, yes today was transfers. Hna Chumioque went to Oran in Salta and my new comp is Hna Hammond from Georgia originally and then Utah. She has 11 months in the mission. She is super awesome and I'm really excited to work with her! It will definitely be an adventure, because the other elders in our branch both got transferred, and their area doesn't exist anymore, so we are now in charge of 2 areas, 1 of which I am recently getting to know and one of which I have absolutely no idea! And they have a baptism this Saturday too! Her name is Laura, she is the sister of the 2 young men who got baptized a few weeks back. Her brother Carlos is going to baptize her! Also Celeste the little sister of Hernan will be baptized this Saturday. Yesterday their whole family arrived at church!!!! It was such a happy moment! Yup so we have got quite the challenge now to manage 2 whole areas but it is a challenge that I gladly accept! It'll be an adventure for sure!

Well that's about all the exciting news I've got this week. Enjoy your vacations n such!

Love you all very much!!!!

Hermana Hooke

It's already Monday??!!

Helloooooooooooo!!!!!!!

This week was good, we were able to find some really good new investigators, Hernan passed the sacrament and his little sister came to church, and we got to do a lot of service. 

Fun story, a lady gave us the reference of her mom that we could go visit, but she doesn't have an address where she lives, so she spent literally 10 minutes describing how to get to her house and even told us the color of her dogs eyes, haha so I'm sure we will be able to find her. 

This transfer flew by, today we are already starting the last week! Something sad that happened this week is that we were teaching a young man Rodrigo and his uncle Hugo, and yesterday Hugo passed away. He had been in the hospital all week from complications of alcoholism. We went to visit him a few times and it was very sad to see him like that, and if every young person could see the consequences of their choices there would be fewer problems with addiction. Really just remember to make good choices. It was very sad. Well sorry to end on that note, but remember that thanks to Jesus Christ we can always change and improve and overcome our mistakes and weaknesses. Filipenses (Philippians?) 4:13  ["I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."]
(Thanks Lib! :) ) 

Thanks to all for your prayers, I love you all!

Hermana Hooke

Happy Valentine's Day I guess...

Hellooooooo!!!!!!!!!!

I hope life is good for everyone! And if it's not, remember that it will get better, and that hard times help us grow. I love you all very much!

This week was very good. Here are a few highlights and fun facts.

-Hernan received the priesthood yesterday! He's super excited to pass the sacrament!

-We found a ward directory the other day and now we have probably literally 50 less active members to go find that we never knew existed, and help our branch grow!

-The Elderes in our branch had a baptism of 2 brothers on Saturday. We brought facturas (like pastries) and a member brought her 2 recently-castrated heavily-anesthetesized cats, so it was a good time overall.

-Today we got up at 5am to hike a mountain to see the sun rise. There's a cross at the top, it reminded me of Ventura! Except for it's not all dead and brown, it's a green jungle. [She's forgotten we've actually had rain in Ventura--it's green now, but not quite a jungle!]  It was raining so there was no sunrise but it was still fun.

Crossing a bridge in their area (San Pedro de Jujuy)

-Carnaval is here! And we live on the 3rd floor above a panaderia [bakery] (Idk if I've mentioned that before, it's literally the best thing that's ever happened to me) that just so happens to be on the very street where the parade starts every weekend in February at about 11:30pm until about 2 or 3am...so that's fun. 

-Also there's a tradition with carnaval that people throw bumbuchas (water balloons) at random passersby, so that's also fun. It really is though, because it has been rell hot.

Carnaval (Emily ran out of time and had to take the memory card out of the computer before it fully loaded:)

-There was an Hermana Hooker in my area before! Everyone asks me if we are sisters. Someone looked at my name tag and asked me what happened to the ¨r¨...haha... That, my friend, is a long story.

Claudina gave the birthday cake to Hna Chumioque

Well I hope that you have a wonderful week and count your blessings every day! They are there if we look for them! 

Love, Hermana Hooke

Happy February!!!!!!

Hello!!! I hope you are doing very well and keeping busy even though your only child in the house is Josie [our cat:)]. (Is she still alive??) Thanks everyone for the lett-hairs n stuff, I always love to hear how everyone is doing!!!
 

Well this week in rama Belgrano, San Pedro de Jujuy was very good!

 

First, someone guessed that I am FORTY YEARS OLD, so that's the good news.

 

Better news, today is Hermana Chumioque's birthday and also P Day so we used the occasion to go to Los Cerros de Siete Colores in Purmamarca. It was BEAUTIFUL! Its seriously like Zion National Park or Moab, but put in Argentina.  Everything's super green and there are huge mountains and then all of a sudden there are huge red rocks. We got to hike and stuff and it was a lot of fun. I have sure missed doing fun outdoorsy things--we will have to go on tons of adventures when I get back to make up for it...

 

Street in Purmamarca

 

Hna Hooke in Purmamarca

 

Hnas Chumioque, Hooke, Jones, & Chavez

 

 

Best news, Hernan got baptized and confirmed!!! I don't know if I said, he's 13. His family minus his dad were able to come to his baptism Saturday and I think he was kind of bummed his dad didn't come, but then his dad did come to his confirmation Sunday! Hernan is a really nice young man, he is always excited to learn when we come, and his little sisters yell "LAS MORMONAS FELICES" [the Happy Momon ladies]!!!! We are going to work with their whole family, they are all really great. In our area every single one of the recent converts is also now less active in the church. When I came this really troubled me, and I decided that I will not encourage anyone to get baptized that I don't really feel is ready and is going to remain active. I feel that Hernan is very sincere and has a testimony of the gospel, he reads the Book of Mormon and prays every day and is just really great. But it's super important that every recent convert has 3 things, like Pres Hinckley said - a friend, a responsibility, and nourishment with the good word of God. That is very true. 

 

Hernan's baptism day wit Hna Chumioque & Hna Hooke

 

Hernan's family

 

Well I don't remember what else happened this week, but here are some fotos. I love you all very much, and always remember to rely on our Savior Jesus Christ--whether we are in good times or bad times, He is there to help us. John 8:12 ["Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, 'I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.' "]

I hope this week is just wonderful!

Best

Hermana Hooke