Week 86, For the first time I was grateful for rain on July 4th!

For the first time I was grateful for rain on July 4th! It was nice because

everyone was on vacation AND no one was able to go to firework shows

so everyone was home!

Today was our awesome Zone Activity. We went to a middle school in Bay
Shore and played kick ball, ultimate frisbee, and had a fun water
balloon toss/fight. I took a couple shots in the back and the chest.
It did feel pretty nice though! I think everyone had a good time and
enjoyed themselves. During kick ball, Elder Galloni took two pop flies
in the face. He went to go catch them, but just misjudged them. The
second one knocked him over! It was nice to have some wholesome fun
and run around a bit.

Here is a funny story. We got a referral from Mormon.org for an older
man. We went to visit him and found his wife outside. We explained to
her why we were at her house and that her husband ordered a Bible. She
was so confused. She kept saying, "there is no way my husband ordered
a Bible online. He is 75 years old and does not know how to use a
computer!" I said "well, do you know if there is someone in your home
that may have done it for him? We just want to make sure whoever
ordered it gets it". She said "there is no way my husband could have
ordered one!" I was like ok I believe you... Do you want the Bible or
not? She still said the same thing! We just left. It is always
interesting going to see some of the contacts we are given from the
website haha!

I learned some valuable lessons today! I was starting to get
frustrated with God because I have been struggling that I felt like I
was just being abandoned. Not that I am struggling so severely, but I
couldn't get out of this depression for a while. I knew that it had to
do with my testimony, but I didn't understand what exactly was
happening. While Elder McDonald was sharing his testimony at our
district meeting, I had an impression that I was beginning to analyze
my faith. I have been training my brain to analyze everything that
comes in, and to be on the look out for possible thoughts that can
trigger anxiety. It is like white blood cells on the patrol and once
they find something they attack. I have been doing this to my
testimony. I realized that instead of having faith I was simply
looking for all the evidence and trying to prove things. I am always
looking for evidences that cause anxiety, but I was taking this
strength and without realizing it, I was making it into something that
was hindering my progression. Once I had that revealed to me I
immediately felt a weight off my shoulders. I now know that I need to
go by faith and by the knowledge of the Gospel that has become perfect
to me. Being analytical and using logic is good when you couple it
with the counsel of God.

The day before the 4th, the library hosted a 4th of July celebration
at a community bandshell by our apartment. Of course my first I
initial thought was- street sweep! We got a nice table cloth and such,
made a poster, and brought the family history stuff. We got it all
setup and these two people come up (at this point I could tell by
their body language that they were not coming to ask what we were
doing) to our table and say "what are you guys doing?" I explained
what we were doing and they asked if we had a permit and this
confirmed what my first impression was about these two individuals. I
told them no and they said that they did and had to ask us to leave.
They were super nice about it though, so no hard feelings, but I was
just like... noooo!

At this same bandshell, the Bay Shore area held a band concert that
Elder McDonald and I helped set up. Afterwards, we went to talk to a
man that was waiting for the show to start. I sat down next to him and
just started asking him questions. Soon we had a great conversation
regarding the Word of Wisdom and the blessings of keeping our bodies
clean! It is always fun to find people to teach during any activity we
do!

Elder McDonald is leaving on Tuesday, so I will be getting a new
companion. I will still be serving in Bay Shore. This morning during
our companionship study we went back to the first time we were
companions and we recounted all the funny stories and miracles we saw.
There were many! Elder McDonald will be missed.

Have a wonderful week everyone! Now I am just praying that our A/C
unit gets fixed today after not having it for 6 weeks :O. It's hot!

Love,

Elder Hooper