February 11, 2013

Good morning world!

This week not much too exciting happened. It rained quite a bit, got pretty cold (almost 70 degrees), and Carnaval started. 

We had a zone conference! Which means that I got to see all my friends from other zones! Elder Stewart and Elder Guerra were there, so that was cool. We took a couple of pictures. So finally Lainey will get that picture of me and Elder Guerra that she wanted. A little bit delayed, but I still got it! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And big news in the realm of credit cards!

JP MORGAN DROPPED THE CHURCH.

I guess the Church was too big of a burden for JP Morgan to support so we no longer are using JP Morgan credit cards! We all received shiny new cards from Bank of America. Looks like the church is just too difficult and, especially with the new influx of missionaries, there are too many expenses to handle! So JP Morgan just lost a TON of money. But that's alright. Better luck next time!

While we were at the zone conference this week, the assistants were doing a training and they showed a video. I'm not sure who it was that made it, or what exactly it was about. But basically it was talking about how when we get pushed down, we have to get back up. And then we'll probably be pushed down again. But we need to get back up again. And again. And again. We can never... desistir! Give up! That's the word! And while the video was passing, I got the urge to change my route in the way of career when I get home. Which was kind of weird, because I haven't been thinking much about that. But basically now I'm a confused mess, with no idea about what I should do for the rest of my life. Good thing I still have almost 10 months left on the mission to not worry about that! 

Just to throw this out there: We are super blessed in the States to have chapels so close to us! Every Sunday me and my companion have to walk 30 minutes to get to the chapel. And there are members that live farther away than us. I remember in São Carlos we had a family that walked an hour to church every week. Back home it's only a 10 minute walk for us! And it's never as hot as it is here! Plus we almost always went to church in the car, so the weather didn't even matter. We are so blessed!

 

Also, I would like to share a quote with all of you! George Washington said it in his Farewell Address.

“Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. … Let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. … Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.
“It is substantially true that virtue or morality is a necessary spring of popular government.”

I like it!

Well! That's all I got! Hope you all have a fantastic week!

Love you!

-Elder Hopper #1