The Grass IS greener on the other side.. ha ha

My companion had to go to the Dentist outside of my area and look what we found!!
A store that sells American Food with Caffeine Free Dr.P so I could drink it!!!
(mission rules are no caffeine), it was INCREDIBLE, I hadn't drinkin Dr. P in over a year! 

Wearing holes into my shoes.. not much grip left either!

Hey Family, June 26, 2012

So I don't have too much time to write today, cuz this computer is really really crappy and slow, and I've had to restart it twice already.

The Black fabric is Corte, The typical clothes of the guatemalas woman, you wrap it around yourself and its a skirt. wear it to church and see what people say.
i didn't get to send you a corte belt to go along with it though. The pants and shorts anyone that wants to wear them and use them can, the jeans i never ever wore, not even for service, and i want them for after the mission, and the shoes I found for like 6 dollars, and are really nice shoes, so keep those safe. I hope you look at all the pictures off my memory card as well.
I didn't actually put the stamps on, i guess thats just the way they do it, i just gave the lady the package, paid, and was off haha.

So this week thats coming, this saturday, we are having a wedding, and a baptism, whooo! the work is paying off. its a really nice young family, the wife was an inactive member, but we activated her, and now we are going to baptize her husband, and we gotta marry them first. there two little kids are also the cutest little guatemalans too, I'll send you pictures next week.

Yesterday i spent all pday at the dentist, not for me, but for my comp. he had to get a wisdom tooth taken out. i watched 4 church movies, and there were some dentists from arizona volunteering there, who brought their daughter with them, so i just watched movies in the dentist office and talked to gringa girls all afternoon, it wasn't too too bad haha. And on the way home we stopped by a place that sells american food oh boy, it was awesome, see the picture for yourself. you might have to pay off my credit card. there was caffeine free dr P! so i could drink it! it was incredible, i hadnt drinkin dr p in over a year.

Also thats AMAZING that they now sell dr pepper bbq sauce at sobeys, why didn't they do that 2 years ago so i didn't have to order it over freakin EBAY!

This week we have a goal for a PERFECT WEEK
one baptism, one confirmation, 20 lessons, half with members present, 2 in house of members, 10 new investigators, and the hardest part 8 investigators in church
well see how it goes
today i have divisions so i wont even be in my area
wish me luck

Well, thats all I've got time for, I think I forgot to wish dad a happy fathers day.. whoops, so I'll do it now, HAPPY FATHERS DAY PAPI!!

Love all ya guys, keep on the straight and narrow,
From Guatemala, With Love,
Elder Hopkins

A random church they passed by outside of their area.  It looks like the Statue is giving the "peace" sign

Still some tough times, but great Conference with the 70

At the Conference with Elder Brett Payne from Balzac, Kathy and Ken Payne's son, who is serving in the North Mission

With Elder Jake Asdell, a pro skate boarder

With Elder Chason, the tallest Elder in the mission

June 19, 2012

Heyyyy Family, hows it goinggg

This week was a little better than last week, but can always be better, and thats what we're always fighting for.
We did have a few investigators in church, and put a few goals with some people for baptismal dates which has been good.

This family that the mom isn't letting her daughter be baptized, we're still working with them, they came to church and everything, we have a lesson with them in the house of the bishop tonight, so hopefully all goes well there, we have faith that she will be baptized, but in the time of the Lord, not our time.

Me and my comp have had our differences this week, just gotta have patience though, he just doesn't want to progress as a missionary,  as a person, he wont do things that will help him grow, which has been a little hard, but alli a poco a poco we're getting things going.

so crazy that Sam Turner and Kris Reed are both home from their missions! It seems like yesterday that i was hanging out with the two, just making mischief, I wish them luck in their new mission to find a wife haha.

Great that parkers fighting along in the MTC. Theres lots of discouraging days there, but you just gotta  keep fighting. His goggles might be on, but also all the temple square sisters go to the mtc, so that might be part of it. it may seem like a jail at times, but a jail with soo much great food, no one really appreciates it until their in the field. here in my mission, we don't eat too much haha, just work work work. But I'm basically the same weight as  I was when I left I'm pretty sure, i haven't weighed myself in a little bit, but I'll do it next time i get a chance.

I actually met that lady who's living in antigua, (Sister Gainor) I talked to her a little bit at  change meeting, she drove the sister missionaries to it.  A nice lady, I didn't have too much time to talk to her, but yeah, I met her once.

This last week we had the conference with Elder Maynes of the presidency of the 70, it was  great talk that he gave . there were like 5 members of the 70 there, the whole area presidency, and another one, i don't know who it was. but yeah, there were missionaries from two other missions there, so i met Elder Payne from Balzac and took a picture with him, and also saw my buddies from the ccm that went to other missions, I took a picture with Elder Jake Asdell as well, whose like a pro skateboarder haha, a pretty cool guy. also a picture of me and Elder Chason, the tallest Elder in the mission ha. and a picture of me and my trompo, a little top thing, with the cool holder it came with haha jk.

Thats too bad to hear that Sawyer died, he was one of my friends from efy.

Your question about fleas and BU? (slang for diarrhea, the missionaries all call it, stands for butt urine) well yes, ive had them both this week. dangg... I woke up with 22 flea bites on my hip, with a little bit of blood on my underwear from each one, but I've pretty much got the situation under control right now, and last night I woke up with a sick stomach and BU, but I'm feeling a little better right now. Its just one of the many little joys of the mission.

also I'm never too cold here in the capital even though its rainy season, the mountains is where its cooooold.

We've got some new goals for the mission, one of the big ones is... this september... 300 baptisms as a mission. when i got here a good month was like 150 baptisms. The Lord is doing wonders through his servant President Brough. when we reach this goal, were gonna be like one of  the highest baptizing missions in the world or something. something like that I was told, but pretty cool hey. we gotta work HARD, como BURROS

Well, my time is just about up. send me a picture of Kris Reed too next week.

Pray for my investigators, even though i might not have mentioned who they all are.

Keep on perserverando.

From Guatemala, With Love,

Elder Hopkins

Me and my trompo, a little top thing with the cool holder it came with, ha ha, jk

Ughhh, it's been hard

Hey family.

This week has had its ups and downs. ughhhh, it's been hard.

But first I'll tell you the best part. So a couple weeks ago a member showed us where a less active member lives, so we have been teaching her, and her non member husband. We put a date for their baptism for the 29th of this month. We just need to marry them first, and her husband has to come to church once more. Investigators usually have to come to church 3 times before being baptized, but this guy has to work every second Sunday, (they are super super poor), so i phoned the president the other day, and he said that we can baptize him with only coming twice, and confirm him on his third as long as  the wife is coming to church alone when he has to work, so that there's good member support in their house. So she came to church this Sunday without him, so that was the best part.

The only problem was that she was about the only person that were teaching that came to church. This week as a mission we had a goal of having 500 investigators in church as a mission, so i worked the hardest I have ever worked this week to bring people to church. I invited absolutely EVERYONE I passed by for investigators on Sunday, and assigned members to pass by for others. We visited many less active that have non members in their house, I did everything I could think of. and on Sunday, only ONE came, ONE. It was horrible! but at least this less active woman came so that we can baptize her husband on the 29th. I'd prefer that she came and no investigators, than 8 investigators, and not her, so that we can have this baptism on the 29th.

To top off this week, we basically have a fallen baptismal date with a different investigator. ughhh. We were going to baptize the 9 year old daughter of a part member family this Sunday the 17th, and the parents said that it was all good, and the daughter was super excited. Then her super Catholic grandfather moved in with them, and started talking, and convinced the mother that she shouldn't be baptized, and that her Catholic baptism is enough, and the fact that her daughter wants to be baptized is just an illusion.  We shared all that we could with her, but she still is saying no, we shared the scripture that says that if someone impedes one of Gods childs to come to him, that its better that they are thrown into the ocean to drown. I don't know the wording to that scripture in English, but basically that, a little strong, but that's what she needed. But we have an appointment with them tonight, and were going to bring the relief society president, who didn't want her daughter to be baptized either about a year ago when they were baptized, but that she repents of that decision now. We'll see how it goes.

Today in the afternoon we have a big conference with Elder Maynes of the 70 presidency, I think that's his name, a huge reunion with all of mission Central, also all of Mission South, and Mission North. it should be a great conference.

I haven't gotten any mail lately, just a letter from Katianne a few weeks ago. Yesterday I sent some stuff, a letter to Parker, just with the normal address, I'm sure it will get to him, one to Katianne, and also I sent a package to you guys, just a few things that i didn't want to carry around with me anymore, and some letters I have gotten, and a few things for you guys. Who knows when it will get there.

Your Question about the nurse, no she doesn't give any vaccinations, but Im sure if we actually needed one we could go to the mission doctor. basically we just call her when were sick and she tells us to take Pepto Bismol. and occasionally shell tell us to take something else if we need it.

The photos I sent you are of the following:
We learned how to make Flour tortillas one day, and we made a food from Honduras that's called baleadas, deliciouse. i was pretty good at it actually haha, all the practice from Dominos ha.
Just some parrot of some less active members
Me and my comp with the girl that we were going to baptize, maybe we'll still baptize her.
It was also Elder Reeder's Birthday, an elder that shares that ward with us, we had birthday cake, and of course the Guatemala tradition continues, you got a take a little bite out of the cake, and when you do it, someone shoves your face into it. I had the pleasure this time haha.
and also we played soccer yesterday as a zone, and this elder was wearing this Canada shirt, that apparently the other Canadian elder, Elder Clifton, from Magrath, gave him. so we took a picture with our Canadian shirts.

Well, that's all for his week. Love you all tons, keep on enduring to the end,
Until next time
From Guatemala, With Love,
Elder Tanner Hopkins

Gotta Gun? Okay, you can have my pen.

Elder Escobar and Elder Hopkins

 Hey family!

So my new companion is named Elder Escobar, and yes, he is from Honduras. haha. my what, 5th comp from Honduras. why didn't i just go there on my mission? his name is Josue Escobar. He has 9 months in the mission, doesn't know English, but hes trying to learn, and yeah, were were getting along just dandy.

I did get the package, and i did get the socks, i love them! thank you so much, I still have candy left over from the package you sent me like 2 months ago, so don't worry about putting in lots of candy haha. the best is always pictures and letters. i don't really need anything else right now, I need to get rid of a few things i think, i think I'll send a package home one of these days.

The raincoat I use most is the one I got from MEC, cuz its nice and small, and fits nicely into one of those mesh bags to fit in my backpack. The other coat is nice,and I like it, but its kinda big to fit in a backpack. if i was a North American missionary and had a car, that would be nice to just put things in the car haha. but I'm walking around all day, with absolutely everything i need, and might need, in my backpack. But yeah, it has been raining here a lot lately.

Don't worry about the camera case, i have that waterproof bag you sent me for Christmas that's working just fine.

This week was pretty good, had two confirmations in church, the familia R. that was just baptised. they're happy for this path they are walking.

I don't have too much stuff to tell you this week, some drunk guy in a car stole my comps agenda, and my pen, he kept saying he had a gun, and kept reaching down to grab it, but I'm pretty sure he had nothing, but to not cause a scene, i gave him my 50 cent pen haha.

Also something that bugs me is that every evangelical church is so different down here, some are living the law of Moses, the Sabbath day on Saturday, they don't eat pork, they prepare all their food before the Sabbath day,  stuff like that. some people say that it's a sin for a woman to wear pants, because is Deuteronomy says that woman can't wear clothes of men, when in this time everybody wore tunics, also in the same chapter it says that you can't wear fabric mixed of linen and wool, and that you can't plant various types of plants in one garden, and I'm sure they aren't following that.
The people here are very confused.

So the pictures I sent are of my trainer, who just went home, and all the other missionaries he trained, all of his kids we call it. my new agenda for this change, everyone always puts pictures on it, and covers it with clear plastic sheets for the rain.
An old lady of the family of our cook, Abuela, or grandma we all call her. shes a funny old lady that we always joke around with.
Also where we eat, there is a little fish tank, and one day, the daughter of our cook said that we killed one of her fish, we always joke around with her.  One day the fish was gone, and she found rice in the tank, she thought we fed it, it died, and we chucked it. The truth is I sometimes give the fish a little bit of tortilla, but it never does any harm. haha. but we didn't kill the fish. but one day we bought her this super ugly fish and put it in the tank, but like 3 days later it died, so now we always say that she killed OUR fish. We eat with another pair of missionaries everyday as well, so they were all part of it too haha. so that's what the pictures of the fish are ha.

But that's all I've got today i think. Love ya all tons!
Have fun in Phoenix! don't get sunburnt! Yesterday i took a nap in my hammock outside in the sun, it felt soooo good, I loved it, but the only bad part is that my legs are now sunburnt.
Look at the difference in the picture of me and my trainer, how tanned he is, and how red i am haha. my skin doesn't tan without tanning lotion. so I bought a bottle the other day to put on so my face isn't red anymore, maybe it will actually get brown. Fun Fun.
Until next week
From Guatemala, With Love,
Elder Hopkins

With his Trainer, Elder Euteinier

His trainer, Elder Euteinier, with all his 'kids'

Grandma

His agenda for this change - covered in plastic to protect it from the rain.

A dead fish.

Another view of a dead fish.