Hello everyone,
Well - the reason I am sending emails today is because yesterday was very crazy. Not only the preparation day part of it but even afterwards. I won't send any details because we have to be quick - we have lots we have to do today. Thank you for all of the love, sending emails and also everything for my birthday too. Next year I'm going to be a twice-uncle, eh? I'll send an email next week to you guys, but congrats Jon & Nicole!
Well, Heber is still a beautiful place. You'll get a picture CD soon (I'm making it tomorrow when we're in Payson) and about half of the pictures I have taken here are of the sky - it is almost always stormy here and it makes for some beautiful pictures.
We are working hard to teach and find new people, as our investigator pool is alot shallower here. We are working with this couple, S and J. They are great people, J is a less-active member who has started coming back while S is meeting with us. We have a baptismal date set for him for September 30th, and the only thing keeping him from it is smoking. They are really having a hard time right now though - they are "residentially challenged" as S puts it. Basically they are camping out in the woods because they do not have a home. They have a tent and a truck (though the truck is really giving them problems) but it is very difficult for them. Luckily, the people in the ward are amazing and have been helping so much. Just keep them in your prayers.
We're heading down to Young today, which should be fun - I love going down there, there are such great people down in that little valley. We won't be able to visit J (our new investigator down there - he is awesome!) because he will be out of town, but we should be able to teach some recent converts and do some good hopefully!
We'll also be meeting with this investigator I have only met so far - D. He lives in Globe but comes and works on a member's ranch out here. He has been coming to church very regularily, and he just feels (this is what Elder Dursteler told me) that baptism is a very big step, and he seems very nervous about himself. But he is a great guy, and we'll try to help him understand that he can do it, with Heavenly Father's help.
Well, you would be very jealous, Dad - we met with this great couple and visited with them (They are very nice, but we're not to where we can teach them yet). The neat thing was though, that before we left, M. gave us a ride in his truck - a restored '48 chevy pickup. Man that was neat - he had me start it actually. You'll see the pictures.
Well I'll just close with my testimony - our Father in Heaven is mindful of all of us, and all he wants us to do is to have joy in this life, but even more so to have joy with him in Eternal Life. I am reminded of how much He loves us when I read Jacob 5. There is a verse in which the master of the vineyard, when he sees his trees becoming wild and bringing forth bad fruit, even after all of his struggling, weeps and says "What more could I have done for my vineyard?" He has given us this gospel, the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, and we have a living prophet today so that we are not left alone to our own intelligence to try and figure out how to be happy, and what the purpose of life really is. Jesus Christ lives, and this is his church today - that is why it is so important that we share it! love you all,
Elder Hoopes
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