Week 33 in the Misión Argentina Salta! (I think)

Hola!!!

Hows it going? First of all, I am glad that you're doing alright what with your sprained toe joint and everything, Mom [snorkeling injury--I'm off crutches as of yesterday!!:)]. Secondly, thanks for the pics, looks like you had tons of fun in Hawaii! Thirdly, I love you all!

Well this week was a bit rough. Not very many people wanted to listen to us, Cristina included, church assistance [help from the members] was at an all time low and nobody in familia Rojas or familia Diaz came to church. I was feeling pretty down yesterday because I love these people so much and I have done and am doing everything I can, and it is the hardest thing to see them not doing well. As a representative of Jesus Christ I am coming to understand the Atonement in a very new and very real way. I don't think I loved very much before the mission, but now I am understanding what it is like to hurt when other people don't choose to live the gospel because we love them and know it is the way they can find eternal happiness. 

The Littlest Diaz

 Well that's enough Debbie downer for the week, I am doing well and we are keeping positive, I know that my success as a missionary does not depend on decisions of others. We are going to keep working with these families to strengthen them. All is not lost! Also Veronica is back on track for baptism, if all goes well it should be May 9th. Keep her in your prayers please!

Thanks Jon and Cath and Mom for the letters!!!! :) Hermana Stewart is going to use the talk you sent me Mom in her capacitación [training] tomorrow, it was a very good talk. (about testimony versus conversion) [https://www.lds.org/ensign/2015/02/testimony-and-conversion?lang=eng].

What else...I have to go to Salta tomorrow to do tramites ["formal procedures" probably to renew her visa!] so that I'm not an illegal alien here.

We painted the new branch president's house the other day, that was fun, also we played volleyball today with our district and some members. Also fun story, there is an abuelito [little grandpa man] that we run into a couple times a week and every time it's like Christmas, he has a little bag on his wheelchair and pulls out alfajores [her favorite cookies] or something to give to us because we are ¨amigas de su alma.¨  [friends of his soul] haha. I don't know if he has a family or even a house but he is always so happy. Así que (Thus] there is always something to be happy about! Life is good.

Sanding President Valdez' house

Hope you all have a splendid week! Love you! 

PS Jon and Cath if you read this have fun in Costa Rica!!!!

Love,

Hermana Hooke

Congrats, Jon!!!!

Heyyy there!

Well looks like you guys are having no fun at all. JUST KIDDING please send me pictures of Hawaii and Costa Rica! And don't forget to save some fun things to do with poor Hermana Hooke sweating in the Argentine sun when she gets back! That's seriously so fun you got to go to Hawaii for Jon's graduation!!! That's crazy he is no longer a young schoolboy!

Jon's graduation day!

Well I hope you are all doing well! This week was good. There is a funny lady named Cristina who contacted US in the street one day, and she already gave us almuerzo [lunch] and already came to church (she invited herself before we could even invite her) and basically she just makes us laugh a lot because I don't even know why. She has 2 kids and wants them to learn about God and make good decisions and how they can have a strong family even when they live in a bad neighborhood. If all goes well she will get baptized May 9th!  We don't know what happened with Veronica but she basically told us she doesn't want to go to church or for us to visit her....we will see how it goes with her.

Also this week we had zone training and guess who gave the training...Hermana Hammond! She is still in my zone, so that's the good news! She told me that Hermana Platino, my 1st companion is also a lider capacitadora [sister training leader] in Santiago del Estero!

Reunion with past companion, Hermana Hammond!

Hna Stewart and I bought matching shoes. Also I am levitating...

In zone training we made missionaries out of clay to talk about being moldable and teachable and humble.

Well not much interesting has happened...for some reason on P Day we never have time to do everything we have to do but this week we had tons of time and just sat there for like 2 hrs...it was really weird. We couldn't think of anything to do but feed leftover empanadas to neighborhood cats. One of them is pretty cute because it actually has 2 eyes. 

Wellll thanks all for the prayers and thoughts and letters! Love you all! Remember that our spirit, like our body, needs nourishment every day too! When we make not only scripture study but also application a part of our life we really can become better people every day! 3 Nephi 14: 24-27 ["Therefore, whoso heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, who built his house upon a rock—And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them not shall be likened unto a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand—And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell, and great was the fall of it." See also Matthew 7:21-27]

Best,

Hermana Hooke :)

Hola!!

Hola!

First off, YES I got your package! Thanks!

There were sour gummi worms in the package!

Second off, this week was very long for some reason but nothing interesting really happened. Oh I guess it was interesting when we went to the hospital for an allergic reaction Hermana Stewart had when something bit her. Don´t worry, she´s alright. Hermana Stewart arrived in Argentina the same transfer that I did! She has 1 month more than I do in the mission though because she was in the MTC for longer. She is from Utah and is very cheerful and sweet and obedient. (there's your description mom:)

Hermana Stewart & Hermana Hooke

Please keep familia Díaz and familia Rojas in your prayers. None of my converts went to church yesterday. It makes me very sad and worried. But we are going to work very hard as a companionship and as branch council (oh also our branch pres got released but they didn't call a new one. So now we don't have a branch pres...) and I will not leave Belgrano with my converts less active. Baptisms are relatively easy when compared with retention, I am finding out. I don´t know why but that's how it is here. But I love these people and God loves these people and we are going to succeed!

Also please pray for Verónica, she accepted a baptismal date for the 25th but still feels that she isn't  receiving an answer. But she is searching for peace and knows she feels good when we teach her and when she goes to church. 

Well by the looks of the fotos, looks like the Hookes are having lots of fun! Hopefully the go cart doesn't break before I get home... Oh also are you (mom and dad) gonna go to Hawaii for Jon´s graduation? It's not every day that someone graduates from 17th grade! 

Well love you all!!! ¡Que tengan una linda semana!

XOXO Hermana Hooke

Family letters

No official post today: Emily watched the General Conference of the church, and wrote a personal letter to family members. She is well and happy!!