A Wedding!

Hello. I don't know what to even say hahaha.
MOSCOW RUSSIA what theee heck? hahahhaha That's awesome. I almost can't believe it. I had a dream before I got my call that I was going to Russia, I thought it would be sick, now Parker's gonna get to live it. That will be an interesting language to learn, harder than Spanish I imagine. He's gonna be in the MTC for 12 weeks then, and he's gonna get fat from the food! haha oh boy Parker! I still wish he was going to be learning Spanish so we could talk after, but we'll just have to find a way to communicate between Spanish and Russian. but way to go Parker!!! I love ya man!! Send Parker my love and my congratulations

My companion has been out exactly 12 weeks less than i have.  Hmmm, the people in my District.... the district leader is Elder Carlson, there's Elder Archibold, Elder Reeder, Elder Grijalba, Hermana Flores, and Hermana Muñoz. My zone leaders are Elder Flores, and Elder Morgan. Those are the people I have most contact with.

Yes, we were in Antigua last week. The nachos weren't actually that great, The nachos in the C.O.P. lounge are better, or at Kicking Horse ha.


And yeah, the fleas are kinda back, but I washed my sheets and they kinda went away. but I'm getting used to having bug bites all over my body.

So this week we were able to marry this family! Yeaaaa! After a lot of trouble finding their papers, we were able to marry them last minute, and we had a great wedding, they were both so happy and are excited to now be baptised.
The only thing now is that  we probably aren't going to be able to baptize them in between sessions of General Conference, it might have to be after at like 7, or the next Sunday. The thing is is that he has to work this Sunday, and he has only come to church 2 times, and he has to come 3 times before being baptised. We are having the bishop write a card to his boss so he can have the day off, but if he can't, he is going to try to come to the priesthood session on Saturday, and if he can it will count as going to church, so he will be baptised on Sunday night, but if he can't come at all this weekend, we are going to have to wait until the next Sunday. They both do want to be baptised, it was funny, we had a lesson with them last night(where we gave them a bunch of pictures from their wedding that I had printed out too), but after the lesson we invited them to some family home evenings that we have planned with the members, so that they can come to the members houses for a lesson, (including the stake president) and then he said ´¨and these don't count so that I can be baptised this Sunday?? It was kinda funny, but yeah, they are excited to be baptised.
but I'll let you know next week what the whole deal with that is.

Well I'm still shocked about Parker's call haha, thats crazyyy, I was not expecting that one. I'm excited to hear where Tyler Johnson will be going.

wow... Russia haha

From Guatemala, With Love,
Elder Hopkins

Birthday Celebrations! Success in last area confirmed!

What a lovely cake they got him!

A tradition in Guatemala, you take a bite out of the corner of your cake, and they push your face into it!

 

 Such kind and giving people.. the presents they got him

March 20, 2012

Buenas Dias Familia Mia.

Yeah so my birthday was good last week, a member lady bought a cake for me, and her and her daughters even got me presents haha, it was great. some chocolates and a guatemalan soccer jersey. and yes,the tradition continued and i did get my face smashed into the cake. but it was actually a really good cake, so i was happy to have my face submerged into it. You will notice from the picture with the cake that everyone has a really hard time with my name.  Unfortunately our best appointment for the day of my birthday fell, which was a bummer. but it was a good birthday.

hmmm, well I'm so excited about Parkers call, anybody else have there papers in, or calls? I'll be excited to read next weeks email. Go Guatemala Central!

Thats exciting that Jeremy Stanford might be in the mtc with David Archaletta. But it doesnt sound like he's too excited about it, but after listening to his christmas cd with the motab over and over again, I think I would be just as excited as the sister missionaries. I guess you don't know where he is actually going yet....Once again, Go Guatemala Central!

So we have this family “A” that was going to be married this friday, and then baptized on the 1^st of April. We just need to go to this place called RENAP to take out some of their papers, but the systems here in Guatemala are so horrible, that they haven't been able to take out their papers, and some of the RENAPs are out of their special paper to print it on, and a bunch of dumb excuses. But we are working hard to get their papers, so that they can at least be married before April 1st so they can be baptized on this date. they are super excited for their wedding, and baptism, so we gotta work hard to make it happen.

Also yesterday we went to Antigua for pday, and i went and talked to a member from my last ward that works in the market there, and he said the kids from that family DID get baptized, and the familia “Az” that I found and started teaching are coming to church and are going to be baptized soon. yaa! its good to know I planted some good seeds, but sad that I'm not there for the harvest.

Something that might be good in my package is nibs licorice, corn nuts of coarse, maybe like 2 pairs of socks, what would be awesome is black smart wool socks from like that sports store Atmosphere up by costco. and the best always is letters and pictures. I can't think of anything else, but if I can I'll tell you next week, so don't send it until after we write next week.

Well thats all i can think of to tell you this week, love you all tons.
have a fun vacation, cuidado with all the maldad in Las Vegas.

love elder Hopkins

YUM!  Nachos in Antigua (the Tourist Town), with another Elder from his District

The beautiful sites of Antigua

HAPPY BIRTHDAY / FELIZ CUMPLEANOS ELDER HOPKINS!

March 13, 2012 

 Elder Hopkins 20th Birthday TODAY!   - so nice to have his email day land on his actual birthday!

Special Birthday Breakfast made by the ward's Relief Society President

 Gift from the ward's Relief Society President

The Sister Missionaries made cupcakes for their district meeting meeting today to celebrate his birthday

Hey Family

Thanks for all the birthday wishes. its been a good birthday so far, the relief society president made us a good breakfast, and gave me a little gift of candies and deodorant, and then at district meeting the sisters made cupcakes for my birthday, we'll see what other birthday surprised are in store for me.

Those pants sound like they will be fine, im not too too sure about the 32 waist though, wondering if 34 might be better, I could always get them sewed for like 2 dollars, but it might be harder if they are a little too tight but i donno, sometimes 32 fits me great, sometimes not, it depends on the pants, but you can compare them to my pants that i have in my closet, my grey church pants, if they're the same its all good, if they're smaller, maybe 34 would be better.

ummm for my plaque, i don't really like the picture of me in front of the volcano haha i donno just find any old pic.
thanks crazy that kent lost 50 pounds. thats like a third of me.

ummm the familia “S” still doesn't have a baptismal date, we have an appointment with them tonight, we challenged them last lime we went, but they didn't give us an answer yet. well see what happens tonight.

But the sister of Hermana “V” (a different sister) has also been coming to church, and we kinda changed out focus to them this week, and taught her husband for the first time, who works at walmart. The fact that he works at walmart doesn't have to do with anything, but i just wanted to throw that in there. But we challenged her to baptism, and we have a baptism date with her the 1st of april. We have a goal as a mission to baptize 100 people in between the two sessions of general conference this day, so this will be our contribution, and hopefully her husband will be ready in time, and maybe the family “S”.

This family “A” also needs to get married before being baptized, but there are no problems there, they already told us that they would be married. so we are planning a wedding and everything for them on the 24th of march. so we do have some work to do.

Thats awesome about President Miller haha, this man is PILAS.(told him the story of how Pres. Miller went back to his mission in Brazil this last December (40 years later) and ended up teaching their taxi driver and getting him baptized before they left)

thats aweseome that Parkers papers are in, am excited to hear where he goes. I'm rooting for Guatemala Central. Whooo!!!

Well i love you all so much, thanks again for remembering me on my birthday,
love your viejito son,
Elder Hopkins

 Nice to see he is eating so well, while serving in the Capital!

Pizza Hut and I can touch my toes!

We went to Pizza Hut yesterday as a zone and I ate hot wings for the first time in so long and they were sooo good!

March 6, 2012

Hey Familyyy
que tal estan?

well, i guess I'll answer your questions first haha.
Transfers are tomorrow, but nothing is happening with me, me and my companion are both staying in our area together.
hmmm, in my package, just send me some photos, and some corn nuts, and some 5 cent candys, and I should be good. oh also i have like that whole thing of q-tips that you sent me still. i only use 2 a day, and you sent me like 500, so i think I'm set. I have eaten a couple of the noodles, but i still have a bunch, and candy. oh, something that i want... is a pair of grey golf pants... an elder in my district only brought golf pants with him, and they are super thin and cool for this hot weather. i think a pair of those would be awesome. I'm like a 33 waist. you guys are awesome.

The entire family, of the family “V” didn't come to church, but the wife and daughter did. Just yesterday she called the relief society president, and said she wanted to tell her something, we have a great relationship with the rs pres, so we're hoping its good news, and we'll find out tonight. But the familia “S” came to church this sunday, and loved it, tonight we are going to try to put a baptismal date with them for the 1st of april.
it was a testimony meeting this sunday, but i didn't bear mine, the last month I did though.

Yes we drink lots of water, and don't get sunstroke. They sell water and juice in bags here, so i usually buy a one quet bag of Tampico juice which is super good.
Yes, I wear shorts on p-days but only when I play sports, just normal missionary clothes when I'm out in public.

I write my mission president in a combination of english and spanish, and my comp doesn't know hardly any english.

The area i felt safest in was probably when i was in the mountains. Theres been a bunch of people killed here in my area since I've been here, and the other day we walked past a man that had just been shot in the arm at like 2 in the afternoon. But don't worry, I feel safe, nothing is going to happen to me, its just the people into drugs that have problems.
also we're kinda friends with a guy thats respected by all the gangs, so he's got our backs haha.

also we bought like 3 cakes for people this week, one for a members b-day that always comes to appointments with us, and 2 for members that do a lot for us. The have a tradition here that you gotta take a bite out of the corner of the cake, and whenever they do that, someone always pushes their face into the cake, we had fun with that, my face might be covered in cake next week...

Also I did something for the first time in my life this week. I touched my toes while standing up without bending my knees! I was pretty happy. I'm working on my flexibility a poco a poco. also I bought protein powder the other day with my credit card, so you might wanna go pay that off.
also yeah, my glasses were in two payments, so thats what those payments are, kinda pricey, but they were just too nice to forget about.

am about out of time now!!
love you guys tons!
keep it classy
Love Elder Hopkins

My District

My Zone

Celebrating Birthdays with members

Having Family Home Evening with a family

We are always sooo tired after eating lunch! Wish we could have a Siesta!

There is a school here called the School of Canada, I don't know why its called that, it has no association with Canada I'm pretty sure, but a member girl had to make that poster for homework