¡Feliz Día, Mami! :)

Hola!!!!!

Well it sure was fun to see your faces yesterday! [Skype for Mother's Day!!] I'm glad everyone is doing well and didn't die in Costa Rica or anything. Really I do love you guys a whole lot!!!

This week started out rough but we just kept right on working with faith and it turned out to be a wonderful week. We were able to find some really good new people who are really interested and the best part is 2 of them were referrals from members, so that means they already have built in friends at church! 

We got to have a conference with a Seventy on Friday, Elder Viñas, who just so happened to be the mission president of my mission president when my mission president served here in the Argentina Salta mission. So that was pretty cool. One thing he told us that I really liked is that "Seek the Lord early and you will find him" (Proverbs 8:17) means that we must seek the Lord early, or strive to obey and have a relationship with Him early, as in before the trials come, so that when the hard times come He will be there to help us. Elder Viñas was just the best. He needs to come visit San Pedro [where Emily is now] because he is very direct and doesn't take excuses. (For example: ¨You didn't go to church because you were tired? That's a sin. We don't have to do everything that we like. Do you think Jesus liked suffering for your sins?¨) I may not be THAT direct or bold but I am trying to be more direct, because I am learning that part of my calling as a representative of Jesus Christ is to call people to repentance and warn them of the consequences of sin. So I learned how to really love first, and part of this love is to really be concerned for their eternal well-being and sometimes that requires being direct.

What else happened this week....we had our 2-branch talent show on Saturday and it was super fun and successful! It helped boost the ánimo in the branch (I honestly don't even know how to say ánimo in English...) [Perhaps "excitement" or "motivation" or "enthusiasm"]] 

Decorating for Talent Show

Kevin, who did the piano "glissandos" while Hna Hooke and Hna Stewart played a blues song for the talent show

What else. I have to give the capacitación [training] tomorrow in our district meeting on following the Spirit. Also the Díaz family got an armadillo. It was really gross. Don't mind my 30 chins--that's what happens when I hold armadillos. 

Love those armadillos!!

 And it is customary here to greet with a kiss on the cheek. As missionaries we greet women with a kiss and men with a hand shake. There was this really old drunk person and my companion thought it was a woman so she leaned in to greet ¨her¨ with a kiss. I thought it was a man so I got really confused and gave them a kiss too. Yup it turns out it was a reallllllly old nasty drunk man. So that's the fun story of the week. Gross.

Wellllllll I love you! Happy Mother's Day again to a very wonderful lady, Abuelita Lori! [One of Emily's nicknames for me...]  

PS thanks for the recipes and stories!!! 

PSS this is probably going to be my last week in San Pedro. 

K love you bye.

Hermana Hooke