From Alec: March 30, 2010

Hello from Mesa/AJ

Thanks for the letters and emails. Mom thanks for the Easter package, I am really loving all of it. You would have liked to see my reaction to getting that package here - lifting it up over my head triumphantly as I came down the porch of our member/landlord's house. Hopefully everything goes well over in Minnesota.

Here we had D.'s baptism go well on Saturday. Everything dealing with him went smoothly. The actual Stake Baptism was not the best organized, and 7 people were set to get baptized that day. But as I said, for D. it all went very well.

Thursday we went to the Easter Pageant with the reactivated family and the Hargraves (our WML's fam). It was great. I remembered how much I loved it - though they didn't change it too much from last year so that was a little disappointing in a way, not that I thought any of it needed to be changed (just one voice over part the voice is a little funny in my opinion). But it was good.

I was reminded of Elder Holland's talk a few conferences ago about how the Savior completed his mission alone. In the Easter Pageant they have Christ over on this little hill part of the stage with an olive tree, representing the garden of Gethsemane. He's there praying and you can see the 11 over in the main part of the stage laying down asleep. He suffered for all of our sins and pains, and he did it alone. Nonetheless he drunk the bitter cup and overcame for all of us. I hope we can all remember Him this Easter season. I know that as we do we will feel an outpouring of the Spirit of the Lord, especially as General conference is coming up

I love you all and wish you a good Easter week,

Elder Hoopes