Week 8 NYNYS

Hey there!

This week has been freezing! For the first time, I have experienced a real snow fall. It has been pretty fun tracting in that kind of weather!

First off, I just want to thank all of you that have sent me letters recently. I really needed all that support this week.. It means so much to me to have all of your support back home.

It has been a pretty good week! We have had a lot of success working with members and some less active members who are all great people! We also tracted into a few new people that were so nice. Hopefully we will be able to share a little more with them in the future. We have had some great dinner appointments (not talking about the food here even though it is always nice) where we have been earning the members trust, and also helping them increase their faith in Christ and helping them be more united with their families. I love to work with the members and help renew their testimonies of the restoration! It is hard for me to explain how much working with members is so important for missionaries and how important is it that the members work with the missionaries. Our branch is incredible with this. We work together so well and it is almost as if we are just simply members to. We all work together! It helps both parties!

On Saturday, we had a free hot chocolate street sweep which was pretty successful. Who doesn't want free hot chocolate on a freezing snowy day? Many people were interested in the many DVDs and books we had about the Savior. Another missionary and I even talked with a really cool police officer who also was a youth minister for his church. We talked about why there are so many churches on the Earth today. He said he has seen us missionaries a lot in the neighborhoods and said that now that he knows what we are doing now, he won't ever mess with us! :D

These last few weeks have been a more struggle for me. I have had to rely on the Lord more than I have ever had to in my life. The power of the atonement is real. It isn't just there when we need to repent. We are perfected in Christ through the enabling power of the atonement. My Mission President and I were talking about the atonement and he said that the Lord is more upset with you when you deny the power of His son's atonement, then when you have sinned. This meaning that if you are still hurting yourself for your past mistakes, you are denying the power of the atonement, if you are not allowing the atonement to help you overcome your weaknesses you are denying the power of the atonement. This is something that I am trying to work even harder at so that I can allow the atonement shape me into the missionary the Lord wants me to be. My invitation to you, is always use that atonement in every aspect of your life. I have seen it help me develop Christ-like attributes. I know that I can't develop these traits on my own, but with the Lord's help, I (and you!) am capable of doing it.

Yesterday, my companion and I met a man at our sacrament meeting who was being taught by the New York North missionaries with his co-worker in Harlem. He was going to be baptized, but he needs to get baptized in his area. He lives in Greenpoint, which is my companion and I's area! He is a super cool guy and we are so excited to have him in our branch and soon to become the newest member. He has a very strong testimony of the gospel and will make a great leader and priesthood holder in the future. We will baptize him the 10th! We are excited.

I am so grateful for your support and love all of you very much! Your support and love keeps me going!

Love,

Elder Hooper