For my last transfer, I am in...

............Concepción! haha I am very happy to stay here with so many wonderful people that I love dearly! Hermana Barros went to Salta and my new companion is Hermana Warren from Utah. She came from Belgrano (one of my old areas) and her companion was Hermana Vargas (one of my old comps!) Qué loco, no?

Well this has been a week of spiritual growth. We were able to see a worldwide transmission [broadcast] for missionaries and we also had a conference with a member of one of the Quorums of the Seventy and his wife who came from Buenos Aires, Elder Krasnoselsky (or something like that....ha). We learned a lot about the importance of the Spirit in the conversion of people. I really liked something Elder Bednar said: Teaching is not talking. It is listening and observing, both to the Spirit and the investigator. We tried very hard to do this during the week and have been able to help Juan Peralta progress a lot--he is the branch president's father-in-law. He is the first investigator I have taught who from the beginning has a very strong testimony and already knows the church and the Book of Mormon are true. We just have to help him be willing to change and leave a whole life of what he's used to for what he knows is the truth. Silvia went to church again and if all goes well she will get baptized now on Febuary 6th! 

 

Well I am out of time, we have to go to lunch now (we had permission to write today because my comp got here really late yesterday so we couldn't write.)

 

Well, I love my Heavenly Father, I love His children, I love my Savior Jesus Christ, and I am grateful for the family that I have! I love you all very much!

 

Con cariño,

Hermana Hooke :)

Don't Fall Asleep During Long Talks

Hola,

Hope all is well in Ventura/San Clemente/Boise/Ohio/Utah/anywhere else you might be reading this!

 

I have a different companion for a few days, her name is Hermana Bitton, our companions went to do visa stuff in San Miguel. She started the mission in a pueblo called Simoca that is in our zone here in Concepción, so today we went there so she could see her old friends! And we had lunch with a marvelous almost-member Rosa (she is waiting for the divorce from her ex-husband so she can get married officially to her current husband and be baptized) [happens a lot in South America!]. In Simoca, it is very tranquilo (peaceful) and the people are very nice.

 

This week we found a lot of new investigators, and a 17-yr-old member Daiana (who wasn't active but now is active just because we visited her one time) is helping us a lot by accompanying us and encouraging her family to listen to us.

 

Silvia (our investigator whose 7 kids are members) was going to get baptized this week but she got sick and wasn't able to go to church. We were waiting for several investigators at church yesterday and no one showed up and it just hurt my heart! And it made me realize how much it must hurt Heavenly Father when we don't do the things we know we should! But we have at least 1 more week to work and help our investigators and recent converts here to keep their commitments. I have no idea what will happen next week when it's transfer time again...I hope to finish my last transfer (6 weeks) here in Concepción, but we will see what God's plan is for me!

 

Well I love you all lots! 

Hermana Hooke :)

PS if you want to know the explanation for the subject line, look up  Acts 20:7-9. :)

Oops ya fue my computer time...at least I sent photos!

Oops...ya fue my computer time...at least I sent photos:)
Love you lots!
Hermana Hooke

They fixed the rat-chewed piano - I am the first one to play it in the meetings in more than 5 years!

Emily's Zone

A cool little plaza where we did exercise today

Look what a dog did to me! But I survived...

We made cookies last P Day with the Luna family (and their cat Gringo)

Christmas package from Lee Ann & Dan (fuzzy socks!!) THANKS!

Another Fun Week in Concepción!

Hola amigos y familia!

Happy 2016! Hope you had a good new years! We had a good time here and we got to have dinner with our good friend Mary and her family.

 

This week we had some funny moments and some spiritual moments, so I guess you could say it was a very good week! Some funny moments were a power outage in our apartment only (turns out we actually had electricity, we just hadn't turned the light switch on...haha we are smart!) and off-roading a baby stroller for about a kilometer to return it to our investigator Laura's house (don't worry there was not a baby inside.)

 

We are working with a young mother Karina who is a member of the church but has been inactive for years. Well recently she decided to return to church to help her family, and we have been teaching her the lessons. It is amazing to see how, years after being baptized, she is discovering how beautiful the gospel is and really being converted. She said that she had read the Book of Mormon before, but now it is different. Now she feels and recognizes the Spirit and wants to keep reading and learning more. This happens a lot - maybe the Book of Mormon or the gospel haven't changed, but we change, and our hearts change, because of different experiences in life that prepare us to really receive and accept the gospel. There is a time for everyone, we just have to trust in the Lord's timing.

 

Well I love you all very much and hope you enjoy a superb week!

Un abrazo (a hug),

Hermana Hooke :)