MIRACLES!!!

Hola!

This week was sure a week of miracles, here in Concepción as well as back home it seems! [Friends of ours were sealed in the temple, coming up on their 49th anniversary!]

Milagro Numero 1: Hermano Pallares received a priesthood blessing and has no more pain from his herniated disc and tumor. He's going today for the results of his latest x-ray but I'm pretty sure they will find that he is fine. I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who gives His power to men on earth to bless our lives!

Milagro Numero 2: We passed by to visit some members that we hadn't planned to visit, but when we got there their friends that they had wanted to introduce to the gospel just so happened to be there! So we gave them a Book of Mormon and are going to try to have a Family Night or something with them and their friends (the members), because they live really far away.

Milagro Numero 3: I learned how to make homemade pasta! We had lunch with the branch president's family yesterday and I helped them make the pasta. The part I made didn't turn out very well (okay pretty horrible actually) and I said, "Well now I've learned for next time!" The oldest daughter told me, "Hermana Hooke, there will be no next time." Haha it was funny.

Welll sadly I have run out of time, but I wish you a wonderful week! Love you! :)

Hermana Hooke

[Emily won several awards for her snickerdoodles at the festival of desserts:)]

Hermana Vargas making Colombian Arepas

[Much ado about eating... and popped footballs:) ]

Hola a todos! Hope you are all well!

Well to start, yesterday was Mother's Day here in Argentina, and the Argentines sure like to eat. We had lunch with the branch president's whole extended family and here is everything I ate: sandwiches, pizza, empanadas, chicken, rice, steak, potato salad, sausage, 2 types of soda, coconut pie and lemon meringue pie and strawberry and creams with cake. I thought I was going to die of diabetes and clogged arteries and like 5 other diseases all at the same time...but I survived! So that's the good news.

 

This week we could see a ton of progress with Susana, she can't let one day go by without reading the Book of Mormon and she loves church more every time! But she is waiting for her divorce to go through with her ex-husband so she can get married to her new one of 6 years, so we might have to wait a little bit for her baptism. But hey there could be a miracle and the paperwork could all get finished up...I don't really know how that all works.

 

Please pray for Pallares [English pronunciation: pie-ARE-ace], he has to go to Buenos Aires for a very risky operation.

 

Today we met as a zone to play fútbol and have lunch, it was very fun, until our zone leader kicked the ball over the wall and it got popped.

 

Well I don't really have anything else interesting to say! Just that I am happy and well and the Church is true! Until next week.

Hermana Hooke

PS I was about to send fotos but this cyber doesn't recognize my camera....so I guess you'll never meet Hermana Vargas now. Que triste

Una Semana Más de Milagros! [Another week of miracles!]

Hola!!!

Hope you are all well and that you have been able to apply some of the things we learned in general conference! I am trying to do it too!

 

Well this week was really great! Got to finish up trámites [visa papers], then we came back to Concepción and were able to see some miracles with our investigators! We met Susana last week and we returned this week for our second lesson with her and we taught the Restoration. When we explained how we can receive an answer through the Holy Ghost, she read a part in the pamphlet** and said, "I am so amazed, this says exactly how I am feeling!" She accepted a baptismal date and came to church yesterday! Also we visited for the 2nd time an older man Pallares and his 10-year-old granddaughter Salomé, and they are so special! I already feel like they are my grandpa and niece or something. They almost went to church yesterday...literally they were in the plaza one block away but couldn't find the church! Breaks my little heart, but they will make it next week!

Well. All is well in Tucumán! Hope you all have a great week!

 

I had some really good pics this week but it's a holiday so everything's closed, so we are writing in the church and I can't attach the pics. But just imagine them, they were good ones.

 

Love you! 

Hermana Hooke

 

**Here is a pdf of the pamphlet Emily is referring to:

https://www.lds.org/bc/content/ldsorg/content/english/manual/missionary/pdf/36920_the-restoration-eng.pdf?lang=eng  (scroll down)

General Conference is my Favorite Holiday!

Hola!

I hope you are all well! And that you got to watch general conference [lds.org] because it was superb, como siempre! This week was a little crazy and we didn't have too much time to work, but it was great and I am so happy. I had to go to Salta (7-ish hours on a bus...its the bayst [best:)], I love it) for 2 days to do more paperwork to be legal here one day. Then we had interviews with President Chaparro (while we waited, our zone had a yerba mate party!) and something that I really liked that the President said is that I am in this area for a specific purpose. I don't really know what it is, but I guess it's still cool, right? haha. He is such a good man and very in tune with the Spirit in order to help each of us with our individual needs. Then came GENERAL CONFERENCE which is seriously the best! In the closing song of one session they were singing "The Spirit of God" and I was pretty sure Jesus was gonna come right through the window.

Something that I love about Argentina is that when it's conference time people come from towns far away to watch it in the church so everyone stays between sessions and we have a huge picnic. It's the best! Well after conference we traveled again, this time to Tucumán, where we will be for a few days doing more trámites (paperwork. my favorite.) We are staying in a nice hotel, and last night I couldn't sleep because when I sleep in hotels I get nervous for the big race tomorrow like in my youth but then I remembered, "I don't have a big race tomorrow. Just a bunch of paperwork." So then I could sleep better, haha.

Wellll I am well and so happy to be on the mission. Hermana Vargas and I are enjoying every minute of it! Alejandro and Cynthia went out of town so we haven't seen them but they are doing well and we are going to see them again this week.

Well that's enough rambling for today! I love being a missionary and I love my Heavenly Father and my Savior and my family! I invite you to go through your notes from conference and make an action plan to put what you learned in practice. "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." (Matthew 7:24, also 3 Nephi 14:24.) 

Well have a great week, love you!
Hermana Hooke :)