Loving AZ

Well,

thank you everyone for your letters and email - i love hearing from everyone individually, and i'm sorry i cant reply to you all individually as well. just know i love you! And we're pretty pressed for time this Prep Day so i'll just send this one email - so please forward to Jon/Karene/Ben that would be so appreciated.

Jon:

i know what you mean and it's been something i've learned before my mission, but especially in the MTC and i guess from you that the mission, just like the gospel, is not to make someone different temporarily, In order to become like God we go through these things to change our hearts and selves. If i'm not able to be changed from my mission then what will change me? two intense years of spirituality should change everybody - but of course Heavenly father won't force anybody to do anything. I learned to love my MTC teacher Bro. Shelton because i could tell he was a fundamentally changed person from his mission - i could tell he loved soo so much more, he listened so much more, and he felt the spirit so much more. he was off his mission, but still a full-time missionary. I love that phrase; it doesn't say "full-time missionary for just 2 years" it's Full-Time period. i hope i'm always a missionary. and i'd like to thank you too jon, I could tell you were different after your mission, just like bro S I can feel that you love more and more sincerely - and you understand much better about God's will and ours - something i hope to be able to do as well. the mission to me changes people in that they understand that knowing and saying is not enough. we have to KNOW it in our very soul - and when we do that we actually DO those things, and that radiates from you, i felt it from dad & Mom and Ben and Jon and Karene and Bro Shelton and Sister Wellington (the other MTC teacher). thanks for your words and example!

Home:

Thanks for matt's letter - i'll cherish that one for sure, i really do any words from the quorum guys that i get. which reminds me - if you somehow can tell Matt and Jordan or Harry that i Love them and their examples that would be great!

Brendan is a stud - i've loved seeing him grow up just under the older guys, he really has matured into a great man of God.

thanks for sending the things anyways - i know life is busy and i love you for everything you do (i guess to mom mostly, but true of everyone)

oh and sorry, i forgot to send that picture earlier! i'll send it today - karene did say she posted one of me in the MTC from a girl in my district... weird. i don't know how that happened but whatever! :)

i'm glad Caitlyn had fun, birthday parties are always the best - it's probably late but Happy Birthday Caitlyn! keep on going and having fun and true happiness - which doesn't always mean what makes you happy right away, that's something we'll all have to learn and i figured i'd rather learn it on my own (the easy way) than be forced (the hard way) with something bad happening to me. but with that that doesn't mean bad things always happen to us because we're bad, but we can always learn something from almost everything. and i've realized that if you don't learn something from a trial, then that trial was a waste of time and you'll just have to have a similar one again to learn what you were supposed to learn the first time! sooo much easier to learn and love the first time. oh and learn to laugh, as Elder Wirthlin said!

I'm excited for Jon & Nicole! they are great, i love them both and i've always wanted another sister in the family - i felt like the girls were outnumbered in our 5 kid fam. so with Laurie coming and then Nicole, i'm "so stoked", as elder Hinckley said in my MTC devotional.

i hope Dee is doing better - tell that young lady that she is The Best, i'd rather sit and talk with dee than many girls my age, she is just a firecracker; the world's a more enjoyable place when she and her wittyness are around.

and Dad, thanks for the individual mail - i do love to hear from you.

i know what you mean with people dealing with poor decisions. i have this guy we're teaching who i think might have quite a few nervous disorders and possibly mild schizophrenia - he's interesting to say the least. but he also is dealing with those and so is everybody in this world to some degree. thats why i love the Savior!

My teaching is going well and getting better - practice and more practice! and i just want to say i love you, Dad with all of my heart! I'm glad i have you to think of when i relate the words "heavenly father" to someone - I can say i love my Earthly father and i can feel his love almost as much.

which reminds me: prayers we need, please pray for my companion and I for help with what do do with the above mentioned investigator for us to do what Heavenly Father wants us to do, please pray for us to always have the spirit so we know what to do.

we have a lady we will be baptizing on the 25th. she is the nicest lady and has two kids who are just the bomb. she came to church yesterday and loved it, and her kids said they did too.

we have a couple others who had dates for baptism but they've been past because of complications like the woman has to move out of the house (away from the boyfriend) and the other man is having trouble keeping commitments, but also wants to bring his daughter in now too.

well i love you all and i know the church is true - you can see it change people, their very souls and inner selves. there is this investigator with a member wife, who both my companion and I agree he just belongs at church, he has the light in his eyes as well - so we'll ask him to be baptized and i think he just might ask why we didn't ask him sooner. he's a stud - also a really funny guy too.
love,

Elder Hoopes