Friday, July 25, 2014

Week 88, Do I sound like Batman to you?

Happy Monday! It is a been crazy week (I think every week is crazy in its own way). Elder Odd and I got sick so that made the week feel long. We just had sore throats, fever feeling, and sinus issues. We still worked hard and had a super good week though. I have been losing my voice so it is very deep and scratchy. I will go up to someone, start talking, and say something like "sorry for sounding like batman, but I have lost my voice". I don't really say that, but I sound like him!

The adversary has been trying to bring back memories of mistakes in the past. This is something that everyone feels in their life after moving on from something difficult. Satan is trying to get me to snatch the forgiven mistakes out of the Savior's hand that he already took away from me. I am proud of myself though! I didn't allow this to get me down. I just trusted in the Savior and knew he could heal me from these scars. I also knew that if I denied the cleansing power of the Atonement, I would not have faith in the Savior. I learned a really cool lesson regarding the justice and mercy of God as well. I really have been trying to be more focused in my studies. I learned that because of mankind being cut off from God's presence we were all subject unto justice which would require us to suffer for all the sins we have committed. However, because of God himself coming down, he paid the demands of justice and can offer us mercy. He became the creditor and the contract was made anew so that if we would follow Him, we would actually be able to meet the amount due! He is the Author of our Salvation. God is amazing. If there wasn't a world created and mercy was immediately applied without any time of probation, God would have ceased to be God because there would have been no justice! But God is merciful and just and because a Savior was provided, a plan was created, and an earth was made, God is still just and merciful. I am grateful for our Savior.

We had a ward barbecue last weekend and it was a blast. We were launching water balloons across the parking lot with a slingshot. The Elder's Quorum was launching them as far as they could to try and hit the kids playing badminton! It was hilarious. One of the members was barbecuing some delicious ribs. I went up to tell him that the ribs were amazing and when I do, everyone just starts dying laughing. I was so confused because I wasn't joking whatsoever! I just walked away and went and got some more food. Later that night the Elders told me why they were laughing so hard. They just went up to Bro Danner and asked him if there were any more ribs and he said no they are all gone. The Elders were jokingly making him feel bad by saying "we thought we were friends!" And right in the middle of this conversation comes me saying those ribs were amazing! I totally mocked the Elders without realizing it.

So here is what an average day looks like for me (I don't write much about what I do on a daily basis and who I am working with so here it is:). In the mornings we spend some time in the library using the computers to prepare for our ward-list-clean-up-blitz in August. We will be bringing 30 other missionaries in to help us locate all be members in our ward we don't know. There are around 250 names that we have no info on so we are going to hunt them down, by visiting their home, talking to their neighbors, calling them, emails them, Facebooking them, etc. We usually have a district meeting, leader's meeting, or mission conference call we are a part of in the mornings as well. In the afternoon it is sometimes difficult to find productive, smart ways to work. We will usually do online proselyting, try to do some service, or visit our retired friends. In the evening is where we go crazy! We have lots of people we know are interested so we go to their home, visit them, and then work around their area by tracting using videos or other materials. There is a lot of driving involved between each person so we always wave to everyone and depending on their reaction we might stop and give them a card through the window. Yes, it is kind of creepy, but most of the time it is positive, haha!

That is what we look like most days. Networking is important because everyone loves their town and they know their neighbors well too!

Hopefully that didn't bore you. I love you guys and hope you have a wonderful week! #countyourblessings #thehastening #bethehastener

Love,
Elder Hooper

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