June 26, 2012

Heeeeeello my dear family!

Wow! What a WEEK we have had!!! I am sad to report that there are ZERO winners for the "What quote will Elder Hopper put on the back of his new agenda" game because there were ZERO entries. What a shame! I'm beginning to think that no one reads my emails home! Ok...I know at least Mom does...so maybe I should just direct this entire email to her!

Hey mom! How's it going?!?! I had a great week this week! We worked HARD and saw a TON of blessings for it! I don't want to be the missionary who writes home about his dats, but I broke some records, so I'm going to glory in my blessings for a little bit! We had FORTY NINE lessons this week! We tried SO hard to break the fifty mark, but we just couldn't do it! So close! I guess we have our goal for this week...And my record for most lessons taught in one day...10? BROKEN! We got 11 on Saturday! What blessings! It's been a great week!

I've been putting a lot of thought into this week of what makes the difference between a good missionary, one that everyone just kind of remembers, and that AWESOME missionary who everyone talks about for years because he worked his little TAIL off every single day! And I realized that that is really the key! It's just getting out there and working! When I hear stories about lazy missionaries (And trust me...there are a lot) I just think...what do they DO all day!? I would be so bored! I just don't understand it! So I decided that I will be that missionary! Every single day I will wake up and decide that today I'll be an awesome missionary! I'll work hard, and I'll wait for the blessings to come! I don't know how to explain what I'm thinking adequately...but I've decided that that's the key! Just get out and work! Really hard! Drive yourself into the ground every day! That's my plan! And then on P-day...sleep! All day long! :)

Yesterday for P-day we decided against sleeping, instead we decided to go abuse our bodies by climbing up a mountain in Palin, Guatemala! It was one of my companion's old areas, so we also went to say goodbye to some of his old convert families, which was fun. But these are the pictures from that...it was a lot of fun! We had to wear our missionary clothes out of our area so we could ride the bus (and contact it...have I ever mentioned I love doing that?) and still be missionary like. So we went and changed in the forest! I'm glad no one walked along while we were doing that! What a weird site to see! Four gringoes changing their clothes in the middle of the Guatemalan rainforest!

The third picture is of me and my new awesome sticker! I want you to pass this one along to Jon! We taught a super awesome family this week who owns a sticker shop! At the end of the lesson I asked how much it would be to print out a Subaru sticker, and they told me they'd just do it for free! So now I have an awesome Subaru sticker on the back of my journal! Speaking of journals...I'm writing a TON in mine, and I'm going to need at least two more before the end of my mission! I feel like I'm writing to my future wife and kids! It's so much fun for me!

Ok...so that dumb picture won't load...

but the one with me and my companion in front of the GIANT tree is the biggest tree in Guatemala! It's kind of famous here, so we had to take a picture in front of it, naturally!











And the last picture, Elder Petersen had left me an umbrella that he was using for awhile before we became companions...so it was kind of old. And I gave my old one to my new companion. This week that poor umbrella gave up the ghost. At about 2:30, which means we wouldn't be going back to the house for about 6 and a half hours! And it rained ALL day that day! So...I had my first wet day. You just eventually get to a point where you don't care anymore. It's very liberating. It's when you start splashing through puddles and getting your comp wet, and he gets mad at you! Life is just one big game!

Well...I must be going now! WRITE ME YOUR FAVORITE QUOTES AND I'LL PICK A WINNER! Please. :)

Love you all! Have a great week!

Muchisimo amor,
Elder Hopper 2

June 19, 2012

Hello my dearest family/friends/acquaitances(sp?)/conocidos/buddies/anybody who for some reason happens to be reading this!

This has been a very. very eventful week! Last week right after we got done with email, we went to the Capitol to have a tri mission meeting with the President of the quorom of the 70, Elder Maynes! It was SO cool! I was a bit frustrated, because they only gave us about two days warning, and I had already had a day full of meetings planned out, but it was an awesome conference! He talked a lot about the Plan of Savacion, and how it blesses our lives. It's the why of why we're out here preaching the Gospel! The Plan of Salvation is the second lesson in the missionary lessons, and he said something that I really liked. He said that unless you are inspired to go another way with the lessons, you should just follow what is laid out, because that's inspired itself! And people need to know why the restoration is important! What they can gain from keeping the commandments, and that is eternal life with their families and God! Because I don't know about you, but heaven wouldn't be heaven to me without my family!

Ok so I have this thing...I like to put cool quotes on the back of my planner that keep me motivated. Right now I have one from President Hinckley that says, "I think of another kind of tragedy we frequently see, that of persons of high aim and low achievement. Their motives are noble. Their proclaimed ambition is praiseworthy. Their capacity is great. But their discipline is weak. They succumb to indolence. Lack of effort robs them of will." That keeps me going. I don't want to get to heaven and President Hinckey look at me and say, "What a tragedy!" So...I need a new one for the next change! So anyone and everyone, give me your favorite quote, and next week I'll announce the winner! Ready....GO! And we'll do this every six weeks, so if you don't win this time...don't get discouraged, champ! You're a winner in my book!

Elder Pegram and I gave service this week to a family who owns a coffee plantation! (Is that sacreligious?) So now I can start stories like this: This one time, when I was working on a Guatemalan coffee plantation...HOW COOL IS THAT!? But there is a fun story here. We were working, and my hand bumped up against this plant...I found the poison ivy of Guatemala. Only it's poison ivy times A MILLION. My hand just caught on FIRE! Apparently it's called, "Chichicasta" and is really quite prevelant around the area that I'm at. I guess they make fences and stuff out of it. BUT IT HURT! It's the devil in a plant! But I kept working...and then my foot found some! GAH! So my FOOT was on fire! It hurt for like...three days! And the best part is...we get to go back and give more service there on Friday! Yay!

Elder Pegram and I have been working really hard with this family that Elder Petersen and I had found at a Mothers day activity. Theyr'e the family Garcia! Super sweet family, and they agreed to a baptismal date on the 8th of July! We're pretty excited for them, and they have three little girls, and two of them are twins...the twins are about 2 years old, and every single time we pass by their house now they run out to the sidewalk and start yelling, "Mormonis! Mormonis!" And every time we get up close to them they stick out their tongues at me because I did to them the first time I met them! Gah they're just so cute! That's the worst part about being a missionary...not being able to play with kids!

We finally got a hold of Nery, our drunkard. He's such a sweet guy. But he told us he's an alcoholic (Who's surprised!?) so he has to wait about two months before he can get baptized. We're happy for him, though. He's working on it and making great steps toward getting baptized!

We had Stake conference on Sunday, which was really cool! But right in the middle of the meeting when our Mission president was speaking, this big old black dog just walked right into the meeting! Ha! Woops! So someone had to run up and shoosh the chucho out of the meeting...kind of ruined the spirit of things for a few seconds! But certainly gave all of us a good laugh!

So...this last Sunday was Father's day! I would like to wish happy fathers day to my dear trainer, Elder Petersen. I hope all is well, and you are getting on the goal of six months. You know what I'm talking about. Much love. But I would like to wish a VERY VERY Happy father's day to my dear biological father....DAD! I love you dad, thank you for everything you've ever done for me. You're seriously one of my best friends, and I can't wait to play volleyball with you in a little while! I love you dad!

Well...that's about it for this week! I love you guys a ton, and I love your emails BUT I WANT MOOOOORE! :) I'm just a liiiittle greedy.

Love you a ton!
Love,
Elder Hopper #2

P.S...Spanish is spoken here (Who knew?!) but whenever they pick up a phone they say, "Hello?"
A few other Spanish phrases in English: Car wash, Baby shower....what a weird country this is!

June 12, 2012

Hello family! What a...very bland week I've had! This has been the most typical missionary week I think anyone could ever have! We talked to a lot of people, had a lot of lessons, and got rejected a LOT of times! Nothing really spectacular this week!
 BUT we did have two baptisms! And that was REALLY exciting! We baptized a lady named Rosa Hernandez, and she LOVES the church. She came to church the first time, and wanted to be baptized on the spot! What an awesome thing attending church is! I love going to church! Well....it's a little more stressful these days, but I still love it! And what a powerful tool for converting people it is! People can really feel how true this Gospel is when they attend church! But we also baptized a man named Rolando Gil...he was also 1000% chosen! You have to attend church three times in order to be baptized, but every other week he goes to visit his wife in another city, so in order to be baptized this week he had to go to church there last week! So he sook the church out, showed up totally alone, and attended ALL THREE HOURS! It was awesome! Then, he just had to attend this week to get baptized. So we showed up at his house an hour early to walk with him, and he wasn't there! Gah! We were stressing out! So we figured maybe he had already headed over there. So we went to the church, and he wasn't there! NOOOO!!! So we RAN back to his house to try and find him, and he just wasn't there! I was about to cry. So we, rejected and alone, went back to the chapel for church, praying that maybe he showed up by some miracle. He wasn't there. So we just went through our Sunday, and when the time for the baptism rolled around...guess who showed up?! Rolando! So my companion took him aside to explain to him that he wouldn't be able to be baptized, and he swore he came t church that morning! I was getting ready to question whether this guy was right in the head when a member from the OTHER ward in the building came up and said, "Yeah! He was here! He sat with us!" He came to the ward that starts at 8:00 in our building! He WAS there! What a relief! So we were able to baptize him! Next week we'll just have to be a liiiittle bit more clear about what time church starts!

So...these pictures of me in a U of O shirt. I want to make it very clear that my deep, dark hatred of the Ducks still stands. I haven't decided that I love them. BUT we went paca hopping (The little stores that get donated clothes from the states) yesterday for P day and I found this one! I couldn't not get it! It was from Oregon! So...I threw down the 5 Quets (something like...65 cents) to buy it. High roller. And the other picture is of us and our baptisms! I baptized the two closest to me. The guy in the suit is my new companion, Elder Pegram, and the blondie next to me is Elder Watts, Carter Peck's best friend! But...just to be 100% sure that everyone understands...I DON'T LIKE THE DUCKS. :D















We had another investigator named Nery...I think I've talked about him a few times before. He would not come to church! So he FINALLY came to church twice! And he loved it! He wanted to get baptized! But then...well...he fell. Hard. I think last week I told you that we went over there and he was drunk. Well...the same thing happened Tuesday. And Wednesday. And Thursday. And since then, we haven't been able to find him. And he was telling us about this guy that wanted to kill him! I don't know if that was just drunken paranoia, or if there is actually someone who wants to kill him! But I'm SO WORRIED about him! I feel like a parent who is guarding his little child from danger! I love this guy! I want to see him get baptized, but there is nothing we can do if we can't find him sober! So...prayers will be necessary for him.

The other day I was wearing this tie...it was blue, with green stripes. I knew it had some sort of significance, but I just couldn't figure out where it came from! Then about half way throught the day it dawned on me! It was the tie from the percussion 101 show! Ha! I got a good kick out of that.

So today we are going to the Capital to have a three mission wide conference! We leave right after we are done here emailing, that is why I'm emailing so early today! But we have no idea who will be speaking! So we are pretty excited to see what happens! Mostly, I'm excited to go contact the busses. I love busses.

Well...I must be going now! I love each and every one of you! Thank you for all your support and love! I hope you guys get as much joy from reading my emails as I do sending them!

Love,
Elder Hopper #2

Cultural fact: If you go to a restaurant here and ask for water they will ask you, "¿Que sabor?" Which means, "What flavor?" You have to specify what kind of "Water" you want! If you want just water you have to say, "Agua pura" if you want Pop...get this...you have to ask for, "Agua gaseosous" or...gaseous water! Ha! What a confused language Spanish is...

June 5, 2012

Weeeeell hello there dear family!

This week has been great! We have been really REALLY busy! It was Elder Petersen's last few days on Tuesday and Wednesday, so we worked our TAILS off and got TEN lessons in one day! Then, the grand total for the week was FORTY EIGHT! We fought to get fifty, but no dice there. But the Lord is definitely blessing this area!

So I've got a new companion, Elder Pegram, who was also a zone leader for four changes like my last companion! He's from Texas, and played in the marching band there! Apparently his band was BOA national champions in 2007! He is pretty jealous of the fact that I marched drum corps! He's a good missionary, though. It's his last change, too! I'm a serial killer of missionaries! But...that just means more ties and pants for me! Elder Petersen...si esta leyendo esto, su espiritu sigue viviendo en esta misión por medio de sus pantalones!

So in Preach my Gospel there is a section titled, "Christlike attributes" and I have decided that every change I want to work on one of those! And this change I decided to start with humility, because...well...I'm me. But it has been a really good study for me! It really has changed the way that I look at my mission! Not only is the mission time for me to help others change and come unto Christ, but it's really a refiner's fire for me! It's a time that I can really focus on who I'm going to be for the rest of my life, and how I'm going to be after the mission. I think one of the saddest things we see as missionaries is other missionaries who go home and just decide to go apostate for one reason or the other. I think that they just didn't use their time on the mission to really decided who they were going to be, or how they would live their lives afterwards! I was reading in the BoM in 2 Nephi 9;28, and I really liked it! I'm not going to put what it says here, so that you have to go and find it for yourself! Haha! Or...Jaja! But look what humility can do! A prideful man who is learned just gets dumber as he gets "smarter" because he relies on himself! But then read verse 29...it's good to be wise IF you hearken to God! I don't know why, but I just loved that verse!

Ok...enough preaching, on to my stupid anecdotes for the week.

I have officially converted into a Chapin. (pronounced Chapeen for all you gringos out there. :)) And I'm a bit ashamed to say it, actually. But this past week I actually made black beans for breakfast willingly. I had been making french toast almost every morning, but I finally broke down. And I have to say...I really enjoyed it. There's just not much better than a bean and egg burrito for breakfast! I know what you're thinking...gah Drew is gross I can't believe he'd eat something like that! BUT...try it! Throw a little sour cream on there...mmmm....

This week I was walking back to our house, and I know I've told you all about the clothes stores called pacas, right? Well...I found another treasure! This guy was walking down the street wearing a bright teal and orange Miami Dolphins t shirt! YES! But...he was COMPLETELY hammered. I told him I wanted to come by and buy the shirt from him, but he gave me a fake address. Really bums me out. I was going to take a picture with him, and it was going to be a good time. Sigh.

I told you about our family that we married and baptized in the last few weeks, the Abregos. Well...I now understand why the church discourages having baptisms any time away from a Sunday. Because they need to be confirmed in a Sacrament meeting, right? They were going to be confirmed this week, but they DIDN'T SHOW UP! We stopped by on Saturday night, reminded them, and they told us they'd be there an hour early! But then Sunday rolls around and they weren't there! So we ran to their house and almost missed the sacrament, and they weren't at their house! Gah...how frustrating! So...we are going to be at their house an hour early next Sunday to personally escort them to be confirmed members. BUT on a happier note, a guy we have been working with since I got here attended for the second time! Also, this super chosen lady named Rosie Hernandez attended again this week! She LOVES the church! She wants to get baptized asap! So, we're baptizing her this Sunday, and getting permission from President Brough to confirm her on the spot!

But we went to talk to the guy (His name is Nery (Pronounced Nedee for all you gringos out there :) Say it with me...Neeeeh Dee)) last night, and he was DRUNK OUT OF HIS MIND! Booooo. So we had to calm him down a little bit. When he saw me in the door way he just broke into tears. Just saying over and over again "Oh Hopper...Lo siento...Hopper...Lo siento" So we tucked him into bed, and calmed him down a little bit. We're going to go over tonight and give him a blessing. Prayers will be necessary to get this man baptized! But it broke my heart, I really love the guy!

Anyways...life is good here! We're working hard, and seeing some results come from it! And that is really exciting! I couldn't get pictures to work again this week...I think this SD card is screwy...but I'll work on it next week!

I love you all, and I LOVE getting mail and emails from everyone, even if I can't respond to the emails! Keep them coming!
Much love,
Elder Hopper 2