February 17, 2013 A week of training and learning

What was in the package.

My birthday package from the Wests

Dear Family and Friends,

This past week was one of the weeks that went by the quickest. Tuesday we had a very spiritual zone meeting as we reflected on our experiences when we opened our calls to serve in the Brasil, Curitiba Mission. I learned that I need to serve each day like it is my last day on the mission because the time on the mission truly does pass by like a dream. Because I am short on time I will include a funny story that happened yesterday.  

Yesterday morning, Sunday, Elder Kakuschke and I woke up at 6:30 am, like normal, got ready, ate breakfast and left our house at 8:05 am for our 8:30 am church. However, as we were a little under halfway to the church, I realized I left our cell phone in the house, which we needed to call investigators and members before church. As it was 8:15 am at that time we sped walked back to our house, grabbed the phone then walked as fast as we could to not be late, as we received the reference of Sheila from President Cordon who received the reference from one of the 70´s of the church, Carlos Casalicchio, who lives in São Paulo. To say the least it was important to arrive on time to greet Sheila because of who referred her, and because President Cordon said he wanted us to personally follow up with him to lety him know how she liked us, as missionaries, and the church. However, when we arrived at the church at exactly 8:30 am all the gates around the church were locked, the doors were closed and there were no cars in the road. We then opened up the gates and doors and began thinking outloud why no one was there as it was 8:30 am. We thought maybe it´s district conference...maybe they cancelled church for some odd reason and didn´t tell us...or maybe today is a Brasilian holiday we didn´t know about where everyone sleeps in. After setting up some rooms inside the church, at about 8:40 am I remembered that one of the senior missionaries on tuesday told us, as we were leaving our zone meeting, that it was daylight savings time on Sunday and to fall back an hour, to gain an hour of sleep. So rather than it being 8:40 it was really 7:40, we woke up at 5:30 am and felt a little ridiculous for not remembering. I guess you know you´re a missionary when you forget daylight savings time and wake up and go to church an hour early.

By the way transfers were today and it looks like I will complete almost 6 months here at the end of March, because I will stay at least five more weeks with Elder Kakuschke in  this beautiful area of downtown Guarapuava.

Thanks for the love, support and birthday wishes...until next week!

Amo,

Jonathan's Birthday lunch (Present from mom)

Elder Jonathan Hokanson

February 11, 2013 Fireball!

The baptism of Karina, the elect daughter of God we baptized, last Sunday  February 3 2013

Last Monday night to celebrate my son´s first baptism we bought a pizza and Guaraná and celebrated with our district leader, Elder Nunes of São Paulo, and Elder Grigg of Southern California in our house.

Dear Family and Friends,

This past week was quite eventful, but unfortunately I don´t have much time to write about it all. So I´ll just give to quick highlights...

Thursday afternoon as Elder Kakuschke and I were in our house preparing spaghetti and garlic french bread to eat for lunch, I decided to light the gas oven we have, that is powered by a propane tank to the side, to preheat it to toast the garlic bread. About three minutes later I opened the oven to put the bread in and realized the flame had gone out. What I didn´t realize that the whole oven had filled with propane gas. As a natural reaction I grabbed the matches and put my arm in the oven to light the burners and within a slit second of that a giant flame ball shot out of the oven  minorly burning my hand and finger tips and burning the majority of my hair on my right arm. The whole rest of the day my hand hurt pretty bad but after putting burn cream on my hand and arm and a few prayers with hand and arm are practically normal aside from the fact that it looks like I shaved half the hair on my right arm.

Then yesterday after eating churrasco at a member´s house we were giving our lunch message on the importance of member missionary work, when we heard a loud ´´BANG`` outside. When the member´s looked out the window they saw that a car had smashed into the irmão´s old blue vw bug. As the member, who´s house we were at, is a police officer he went into police mode as the man tried to drive away. So instead of finishing our lunch message, Evandro, the member police officer ran outside, shoved the man back into the driver seat of his car and took his keys away until the on duty policial could show up. It turns out that he had a 2.01 blood alcohol level and he told Evandro that he had been drinking ´´in all the bar´´. To best use our time we closed our message with the men in the road, went back inside their house and said a closing prayer with the member´s wives. 

Truly the mission is an experience of a lifetime, and I am loving it more than ever here in Guarapuava! This coming is Monday is transfers so we will see if I will end up spending 6 more weeks here in Guarapuava training Elder Kakuschke.

I love you all thanks for the prayers, love and support!

Amo,

Elder Jonathan Hokanson  

February 4, 2013 The Lord is Putting His Elect in Our Paths

Queridos Família e Amigos,

Eu amo esta obra. We witnessed yet another grande milagre ontem quando Karina, 25 years old, compartilihou o testemunho dela no reunião sacramental e foi batizado logo depois o reunião depois só 16 dias ensinando ela. Karina is by far the most elect daughter of God that I have came across on the mission. We did a contact with her back in November and could tell that there was something different about her by her extremely happy and humble countenance, but because she was living outside  our area, we didn´t have a way to stay in contact with her. That was until we ran into her near a member´s house at the end of December and found out that she lived in a small apartment below where the member lived. The following week we ran into her in the entrance of a neighborhood market.  As it was pouring down rain and she didn´t have an umbrella Elder Ribeiro offered to share his umbrella and walk her to her house a block away. As the rain was pretty strong, she accepted the offer and we dropped her off at her house. However, a week or so later we had transfers and Elder Ribeiro got transferred to Curitiba, so the first couple weeks my head was in a daze as I began training, for the first time on my mission, Elder Kakuschke. My second week with Elder Kakuschke we ran into Karina again, and that is when I decided...``We need to mark an appointment with this woman, it seems like God keeps putting her in our path. That day we marked our first appointment with her for later during the week. On Friday January 18th as we taught her the restoration in her small cramped apartament, the spirit was very srtong and we invited her to be baptized on Sunday the 10th of February. That following Sunday she wasn´t able to go to church because she was in Brasilia doing a concurso. As we taught her the last full week of January, we taught her the word of wisdom and law of chastity and miraculously she didn´t have any problem with either commandment, because it seems like 90% of the people here have at least one problem with one of them. After teaching her all that week, she showed up to church and stayed for all three hours, plus an extra 45 minutes to see Gabrieli, an 8 year old member be baptized. That night she told us it was a miracle she stayed for the whole time because almost every Sunday morning she would travel an hour outside the city to a family farm. That same night as she told us she loved the baptism and church and I asked her how´d she like being baptized like Gabrieli the next Sunday the 3rd of February after church. She reponded that she´d love to. As we taught a spiritual tuesday night lesson about the plan of salvation, tears were brought to her eyes as we explained how in the Celestial kingdom she could live with God and her family in neverending peace and happiness. Because she had a rough  childhood, this lesson gave her a hope she never had before. On Friday she had her baptismal interview and she passed with flying colors. Elder López, my zone leader of Yakima/Spokane Washington, said Karina is the most elect person he´s ever interviewed for baptism. On Saturday night we taught another spiritual lesson with the Karina and the branch president´s wife, outside her apartment, on some chairs in the rain beacause we didn´t have a man over the age of 18 with us. Yesterday during fast and testimony meeting Karina bore her testimony, only her second time ever at church, and she was baptized by Elder Kakuschke in a great baptismal service with overwhelming support. 

I know that the Lord is preparing his children to accept the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, it is my opportunity as a missionary and a member of the restored chrurch to share this message with everyone and encounter those who God has prepared. The work is truly miraculous, it is the hardest work but by  far the most fulfilling. 

Thank you all for your prayers, love and support! Have a great first full week of February!

Amo,

Elder Jonathan Jared Hokanson

January 28, 2013 Trabalho Duro + Obediência= Milagres e Felicidade

Gabrieli and I. Gabrieli is 8 years old and when her dad asked her if she wanted him to baptize her, her answer was, ``No, I want a missionary from the United States`` and she then chose me to baptize her to the dismay of her dad. But he he was just glad she was being baptized and was happy with her choice. I had the privilege of baptizing her after church yesterday. 

Dear FAmily and Friends,

This past Saturday was pretty disapointing to not hear from Elder Oaks, as he was held in Utah after undergoing a minor surgery for a blood clot, but it wasan amazing experience to hear from President Christensen, from the Presidency of the 70, President Costa, President of the Brasil Area and Bishop President Stephenson. I learned from them that all our questions we have can be answered through prayer and studying the scriptures and words of the prophets. Questions of ``what if this would have happened are not questions God likes. God has a plan and there is a reason behind every event. It is our opportunity to ask, ``How can I aply this doctrine in my life to make me a better person.

Yesterday was a miraculous day. We had 5 investigators in sacrament meeting and for four of them it was their first time. After sacrament meeting I had the wonderful opportunity to baptize 8 year old Gabrieli, because she wanted an American missionary to baptize her and not her dad. As three of our investigators stayed for Gabrieli´s baptism. We asked each one of them how they liked it. Karina, who we´ve been teaching for two weeks said she loved it and that she´ll be baptized next sunday. Ezinobia, who we had never met before yesterday asked a member of the branch presidency, ``How can I be baptized like that little girl?`` The member of the branch presidency said, ``The missionaries will pass by your house this week to teach you.`` Truly the Lord works miracles in the lives of others and our own when we strive to obey all mission  rules and commandments with exactness and with a smile on our face. Truly the secret to missionary work is WORK! By the way Ezinobia lives with five more people and her 10 year old son was baptized a wile ago in Curitiba. This mission is amazing and I love and cherish every minute of it!

 Thanks for all the love and support!

Amo,

Elder Jonathan Hokanson

January 21, 2013 Teaching Karina, A Young Woman Prepared By the Lord

Dear Family and Friends,

This past Tuesday when we had our zone conference with President and Sister Cordon and the Assistents, I learned that I need to be a misisonary or a fisher of men that fishes with nets to bring families into the church and not just a normal fisherman with a pole that brings one person into the church at a time. 
Tuesday afternoon I had quite the interesting and awkward experience. We were starting to teach Ana Maria, a reference from a member when her 14 year old niece, who looked like she was at least 17, came into the room. She greeted the returned missionay, Lucas who was with us with the normal greeting of a hug and a kiss on the cheek...Then she came to me. I stuck out my hand super far out to avoid the hugand kiss, but she leaned in and went for the kiss. Out of second nature I quickly backed up in the chair I was in, since we as missionaries can´t hug or kiss girls for these two years. But as I backed up she continued going in for the hug and kiss. Out of second nature again I shouted, ``Não posso!`` or ``No I Can´t`` She quickly pulled away and asked why and I quickly responded ``because we´re missionaries`` To say the least we were both a little embarrassed, but luckily I didn´t break any mission rules, because of my puma like reflexes.  
Friday Elder Kakuschke did a great job leading the lesson of the restoration and we truly encountered a daughter of God prepared for us. Karina, 25 years old, was taught in this lesson with a 18 year old priest from our branch. The Spirit was extremely strong, as we listened to her needs, taught according to those needs and asked inspired questions. At the end of the lesson she was commited to be baptized Sunday the 10th of February, she enthusiastically accepted and said she would read the whole Book of Mormon because she was interested in the fact that we told the her the Book of Mormon has the answers to all her questions.


Thank you all for the love and support!

Love,

Elder Jonathan Hokanson

January 15, 2012 A Humbling, Faith Promoting and Draining First Week as a New Trainer

My son, trainee and companion, Elder Jared Timothy Kakuschke (K-uh-coo-sh-kuh) from Osh Kosh, Wisconsin and I

What an amazing, faith promoting past week it has been. It all started with losing to President Cordon in arm wrestling on Monday during a training, on the importance of focus, dilligence and hard work, for the new trainers. Sister Cordon started the arm wrestling on the count of three and it seemed that before she had even finished saying the word three, President Cordon already had won with my hand almost touching the table. I definately learned theat the president of the mission is more focused than me, but it was also kind of embarrassing because he is a little older than dad, so I lost to an old guy...I love you dad, you´re not that old. ;)  The week only got better. I can´t begin to describe how humbled I have been since beginning training Elder Kakuschke. These past 6 days since receiving my new companion last Tuesday, Elder Jared Timothy Kakuschke of Osh Kosh, Wisconsin. I have had to translate just about everything from Portuguese to english because he is still learning how to learn and speak with the natives. It is amazing to see that he follows my example in just about everything I do so I have to make sure I am always obeying with exactness. I don´t have any more time, but know that I am doing great and I love this restored gospel of Jesus Christ that I am bringing to all God´s children here under the hot humid sun, in Guarapuava, Brasil. Tem uma semana muita boa e lembra que eu amo todos de vocês!

Amo,

Elder Jonathan Jared Hokanson

My first few days as a trainer have been very humbling, I don´t know if I´ve ever been so tired in my life then these past few days training my new companion, Elder Jared Timothy Kakuschke (K-uh-coo-sh-kuh) from Osh Kosh, Wisconsin...yes the home of the clothing osh kosh b´gosh :).

 

So big news Saturday the 26th of this month from 9:00-11:30 am we will have a special visit in Curitiba with the whole mission. Elder Dallin H Oaks, President Claudio R. M. Costa, President of the Brasil Area and Bishop Stephenson will visit us, most likely to announce the new mission president and the rumor is they will split the curitiba mission into two diferent missions, because we almost have 200 missionaries, which is one of the biggest group of missionaries in one mission in the world. I think Elder Oaks is just trying to find an excuse to visit his grandson, Elder Michael Oaks, who took my place  3 months ago to be trained by Elder Funk in Guarani, my first area.

This is a marvalous work...Has there been any one new from the stake or that I know that recently received their mission calls?

I love you Mom, Have a great week!

 

Love your son and missionary,

 

Elder Jonathan Jared Hokanson

 

PS- I have to pay $50 to get my package that Liz sent me in the post office in Curitiba.  FYI Any future packages...don´t put Elder Hokanson, just Jonathan Jared Hokanson...and it will be less likely the package is tariffed.

December 31, 2012 A week filled with rain, trial and Kentucky Fried Chicken

Dear Family and Friends,

What a crazy past week we had here in Guarapuava. To start off the week, on Christmas eve Elder Ribeiro and I went to a member´s house during the evening for their Chrismas Eve feast. We spent about an hour and a half at their house talking with some of the thirty people that were there waiting to eat, but as our 9:30 pm curfew arrived, we ended up getting the barbequed steak, sausage, coleslaw, maionaise, Guaraná and pasta to go, and we ended up stuffing ourselves when we arrived home. Then as it is tradition here we stayed up til midnight, so Elder Riberio could open up his Christmas package. Everyone here, adults and kids alike, stay up til midnight Christmas eve to eat a feast with family and friends and open all their presents. Christmas day I got to talk to my amazing family and we had a american christmas dinner at the senior missionary couple´s house, in the neiboring area. We were treated to t bone steak, mashed potatoes, maionaise, french bread and to cap it all off we had strawberry pie for dessert. Then that night all 6 elders in our district slept in the small apartment in Vila Bela. To say the least it was one of the hottest, humid nights of my life as we all slept without any blankets or sheets.

Yesterday we got soaked from head to toe in a huge wind and rain storm. I learned this week that our mansions in heaven will be built out of the sacrifices we make here on earth to keep the commandments and help God´s kingdom/church grow. Think this week about what sacrifices you are making to keep the commandments to build your mansion in heaven. I love you all...HAPPY NEW YEAR. Until 2013! :)

Love,

Elder Jonathan Jared Hokanson

Lake in Guarapuava

Baptism of Evelin December 22

December 17, 2012 Merry Christmas a week early!

Dear Family and Friends,

MERRY CHRISTMAS...A week and a day early! I hope all of you have a great Christmas and New Years with Family and Friends. Don´t ever forget the true meaning of Christmas. Look for opportunities to serve those around you and take time stop think about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the sacrifice he made for you and me.

While the majority of you are bundled up in blankets, sipping hot chocolate in the cold Christmas weather, I am getting burnt like a lobster and sweating like a pig, in the hot, humid summer here in Guarapuava Brasil. For me the only reason I know it´s almost Christmas is because of the Christmas decorations around town and the small Christmas trees in investigators and member´s houses. Since I am working like crazy with Elder Riberio everyday in the humidity here from 6:30 am to 10:30 pm I feel like it´s the end of July and the winter it´s on it´s way, but winter isn´t for another 5 months or so. 

This past week, Rosny, our recent convert that was baptized a week ago and confirmed yesterday, bore his testimony of the church and his baptismal experience to Elder Riberio and I. I was filled with an overwhelming feeling of joy when he told us that when he was baptized in another church in his teenage years he didn´t feel a difference, but as he was baptized two Sundays ago he was overcome with tears of joy. He told us that we are the real heroes in the world, saving lost souls and bringing them into the true church. Truly losing yourself in the service of others and bringing others the restored gospel of Christ is the best Christamas present I could ever get or give.

I love you all...MERRY CHRISTMAS once again!

Love,

Elder Jonathan Hokanson  

December 13, 2012 After 8 weeks in Guarapuava A Grande Milagre!

Yesterday afternoon the 8th great miracle of my mission occured, Rosny Cavalheiro Dos Santos entered the waters of baptism. He is the fruit of a ward missionary activity, of passing out pass along cards in the neighborhood around the church here in Guarapuava, at the end of October. After a month and a half of going to church, being taught the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ and reading half the Book of Mormon, he was baptized and overcome with joy.

What a week of miracles. The greatest miracle of all was the baptism we had yesterday of Rosny. After Elder Riberio and a ex misisonary found him in the road next to the chapel at the end of October, it has been nothing but miraculous to see the power of the Spirit as he´s becoming converted to the gospel through church attendance and reading the Book of Mormon frequently. About three weeks ago after bearing our testimonies of the Book of Mormon and the imporant role it has in conversion, Rosny prayed to know of it´s truthfulness once again and from that day on he said that his doubts were taken away and that the only thing holding him back was fear that he wouldn´t stay active after baptism because he was lacking friends in the church. We invited him to pray to find friends and this week he told us that his prayers were answered. However, we found out Saturday that in addition to having more freinds he had fear he was unworthy to be baptized because he had thoughts of wrong things he had done in his past. However, Elder Riberio and I bore our testimonies on the power of forgiveness and the atonement and let him know that baptism is one of the steps we take to be completely forgiven. Afterwards we asked Rosny who he wanted to baptize him and he responded that he wanted me or Elder Riberio to baptize him. We drew cast lots and it was decided that Elder Riberio would baptize and I would confirm him next Sunday. Fortunately, yesterday the baptismal service ran smoothly, I think it was one of the most well run baptisms I´ve had yet. Truly this work is miraculous, the worth of souls is great in the sight of God, and only the gospel of Jesus Christ brings true joy.

Have a great week everyone, I love you all!

Love,

Elder Hokanson

December 3, 2012 Finding An Elect of the Lord and Running Like Crazy to Open the Church

What we do every day.  Walking and talking.

Me on our district´s hike this afternoon in Parque Dos Aruquarias

Dear family and friends,

This past Friday I had one of the most spiritual experiences on my mission so far. We passed by the house of Acir, a man I contacted in the road about a month ago and the first contact I had with him, I had the prompting to visit him. As we entered his house Friday afternoon and began talking to him, we learned that his wife and two kids are going to the Catholic church and that he is going to an evangelical church. He then told us that he has been praying to find the true church of Jesus Christ, becasue he knows that his family was meant to be united and not seperated by separate churches. Elder Ribeiro and I testified to him that we were the answers to his prayers and we shared with him that Christ oraginzed his church, it was lost for a while but through Joseph Smith the one and only true Church of Jesus Christ is on the earth today with the power to seal families together for eternity. After this we testified of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon and the proof it is that his family can be together forever. We invited him to be baptized at the end of this month, and with tears welling up in his eyes he said that he would want nothing more than to be with his family forever and be baptized in the true church of Christ. From this experience I learned that God has prepared numerous people to accept his gospel and it is my opportunity to talk to everyone to discover who the prepared are.

To end the week, yesterday we got a phone call at about 3:50 pm from a pair of Elders in our district saying that they needed us to open the church for a baptism they had at 4 pm. As we were in the middle of teaching a lesson, we quickly wrapped up the lesson and from our investigator´s house, about 4km away from they church, we ran as fast as we could. About halfway to the church my cross country instincts kicked in and Elder Ribeiro said he could run any faster, so he threw me the keys and ran as fast as I could to open the church because it was 4:15 pm and the baptism was scheduled for 4 pm. I felt like I was the last leg in the 4x 400 m relay and I was running to help two souls enter the kingdom of God. When I arrived at the church, Elder Borges and Elder Grigg, the two elders in our district, along with all the members were smiling and congratulated me and Elder Ribeiro, who arrived a couple minutes after me, for running so far with our heavy backpacks to help these two souls enter the waters of baptism. I´m sure that everyone who saw us running like crazy to the church, got a good laugh, and after we caught our breath and cooled down a bit we got a good laugh too. This work is the work of the Lord and no sacrifice is too great to help others enter the kingdom of God, even if the sacrifice is almost throwing up the chicken fettucine alfredo you made for lunch to help open up the church for a baptism.

I love you all, Have a great week!

Love,

Elder Jonathan Hokanson

November 26, 2012 Thanksgiving Feast, A Weekend Filled with a Roller Coaster of Emotions and Transfers

Dear Family and Friends,

 

I don´t even know where to start this past week was extremely crazy busy and filled with just about every emotion possible. As I said in my last email Thursday afternoon, all ten elders and the two couple missionaries in my zone of Guarapuava were treated to a Thanksgiving feast at the apartment of Elder and Sister Davis in Vila Bela, a neighboring barrio here in Guarapuava. We ate turkey, which is a rare commodity here in Brasil, generally all they eat is beef and chicken here, but Elder Davis specially ordered turkey at a local buthchery and it was amazing. In addition to the turkey, we ate real mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, homemade stuffing, Brasilian jello with sweet and condensed milk and for dessert...apple pie, blackberry cobbbler and vanilla ice cream. To say the least it was one of the best meals I´ve had in Brasil yet. It was a great change from the white rice, black beans and potato salad that we eat practically every day here for lunch at the member´s houses. Because the food was so good I ended up eating too much and I could barely walk after because I was so full. From this experience I learned that I need to feast upon the words of Christ in the scriptures like I did with our Thanksgiving lunch so I´m filled with the Spirit and I know exactly what to say when my investigators of members have a question.

To cap off an already super busy week, Elder Riberio and I  walked around our area like crazy to help our invesigators who had baptismal dates for this past weekend feel prepared and worthy to be baptized. Friday evening Maria Eduarda, 14, and Evelin, 13, were interviewd for baptism and passed. They both said they were ready for there baptism on Saturday and they even tried on the jumpsuit they would be baptized in. Then Saturday arrived and Elder Riberio and I arrived at the church at 8 am to fill up the baptismal font and heat up the water with the water heater. After waiting an hour for the font to fill up, we tried to turn on the water heater to circulate and heat up the water, only to realize that we had no idea how to turn ignite the propane in the heater. After about an hour and a half on the phone with the leaders of the branch here, we learned how to turn on the igniter. We then turned on the ignitier and water and the water began circulating, but the wtaer that was getting re circulated was still cold, so I told Elder Ribeiro that I thought something wasn´t right, but he said that it would take a while to warm up. When he said this I thought to myself, ``He´s from Brasil so he must know better.`` When we arrived three hours later to check on the water for the baptism of Vila Bela the water was still cold, that´s when I had the thought to check that the gas line was open. When I checked the gas line was closed, and when I opened up the liner the water heater turned on and that very second the water leaving the faucet was hot. To say the least, we both felt very unintelligent. As we passed by Maria Eduarda´s house that evening to give them a ride to their baptism they told us that they weren´t prepared and felt that they were being pressured. Well to make a long story short after a week of running all over the place to help them be baptized their baptism is postponed til further notice.

I learned that I need to be patient in all things and that our prayers will be answered in the Lord´s time and not ours.

 

I love you all, Have a great week!

 

Love,

 

Elder Hokanson 

Me, Elder López of Yakima/Spokane WA, Elder Grigg of LA, CA and Elder Brooksby of WAWe are eating apple pie and blackberry cobbler, made by Elder and Sister Davis of Kansas, a senior couple in our zone, Thanksgiving afternoon.

November 22, 2012 The Testimony Comes After the Trial of Our Faith

Dearest Family and Friends,

Happy Thanksgiving!!! 

This past week I learned that trials will come into our lives whether we like it or not, plans will fall through and at times we will be left feeling hopeless. However, it is during these times that we need to stay strong because the Lord is waiting just around the corner to perform miracles in our lives, if we remain faithful with our head up, relying on the power of the Lord. One of our investigators this past week, after a month of teaching him and planning his bptism for the 17th of this month, told us for the first time that he didn´t want to be baptized and that he´d wait til next year to be baptized after talking to his anti-mormon parents. It was after this lesson when he told us this, that I was left thinking, ``Why would the Lord let us teach this man for over a month, just to have him tell us this.`` However, Elder Riberio and I decided to keep our heads up and say,``Only Blessings and Miracles...ONLY BLESSINGS AND MIRACLES because this work is marvalious. Then the miracles happened at the beginning of this week,  Maria Eduarda and Evelin, two young women who weren´t progressing very much and didn´t have a desire to be baptized, told us tuesday that they want to be baptized this Saturday and that Maria´s addiction to cigarettes had been cured due to reading the Book of Mormon, Praring and going to church. Then that same evening, Rosny, an immigrant from Mexico, who had swamped us with doubts and questions in the past told us that his doubts and questions had been answered because he prayed to know if the Book of Mormon is true and has been receiving many answers to his prayers. Truly, the lord blesses those who stay strong in the face of adversity.

Anyway I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving and week! I am truly blessed to be a representative of Jesus Christ in Guarapuava, Brasil. I am even more blessed to have two senior american couples that are in my zone and to celebrate thanksgiving they are treating the ten missionaries to a thanksgiving feast in an hour. Until next week!

Love,

Elder Hokanson 

November 12, 2012 The Lord Works in Miraculous Ways

As far as the work here in Guarapuava, Elder Riberio and I are working like crazy to use the book of mormon and the spirit to convert the 14 investigators that we have marked baptismal dates with. I know these next couple weeks will not be easy, we had a few days this week where all our appointments fell and it was pouring down rain with wind blowing in our face, but we learned that we need to keep the faith so we can have the spirit and perform miracles.

On Thursday my companion and I ate at a hole in the wall buffet and for the first time in my life I ate  stomach of a cow, and now I know why I never ate it before.

One of our investigators, Rosny from Mexico, prayed in church yesterday to have us cut off from visiting him at his apartment, if the church wasn´t true, and not knowing that he prayed for this,  we marked an appointment, right after sacrament meeting, to visit him that night at 7:30. As we arrived at his apartment, the telephone on the intercom to his apartment was off the hook and we almost left, because we couldn´t get a hold of him to let us in, but as I said a silent prayer a couple walked up and began to enter the building and we explained the situation with the intercom and they let us in. We entered Rosny´s apartment and after conversing to him for a while. He told us of the prayer he said in the church and told us that after praying for over two weeks if the Book of Mormon is true, he finally received an answer when we marked the appointment with him after sacrament meeting. He told us that god listened to his prayers and God responded in a simple, but miraculous way. We then set a goal for him to prepare to be baptized Sunday the 25th of this month.

This work is truly miraculous when we are firm in the faith and believe, all things are possible.

 

Have a great week, I Iove you all!

 

Love,

 

Elder Jonathan Jared Hokanson

November 5, 2012 Extremely Out of Shape, A Great Zone Conference and a Giant Wind and Rainstorm

Well this past Tuesday morning, I realized how out of shape I am, as Elder Ribeiro and I woke up a 6:20 and went on a 2 1/2  mile run around a pond near our house. When we arrived back home I was panting like a dog and the next couple days it was very painful to walk as it felt like all the muscles in my legs had been torn. However, we ran again on Saturday and fortunately my legs didn´t hurt and I could actually breathe. 

On Tuesday morning and afternoon, we had the great priveledge to have a zone conference and our leaders and President and Sister Cordon spoke to us. I was again reminded of the importance of the Book of Mormon as a missionary, because without the Book of Mormon we have no puropose as missionaries and members, but with it we have proof that the Church of Jesus Christ is on the earth today with a living prophet. I challenge each and everyone of you, regardless if you know the book of mormon is true or not, to read a few pages and through prayer ask God if it is true. I promise you all as a representative of Jesus Christ that you will know it´s true through the Holy Ghost.

On Wednesday evening as I was with a new elder, in a poorer part of Guarapuava in a poorly constructed shack of a recently baptized couple, we began sharing a message with them when all of the sudden the lights started flickering, and we looked out side to see pieces of the roof flying away as a giant wind and rainstorm was happening. The next 10 minutes or so I was praying that the roof wouldn´t collapse as rain was entering the house. Luckily the roof didn´t collapse and we escaped the storm unharmed. However, hundreds of people, after the storm, were on top of their roofs, repairing the damage from the storm. I learned from this experience the importance of not only having a firm physical foundation, but a even firmer spiritual foundation so that we can stand firm in the stroms of sin and temptation that beset us (Helaman 5:12). This work is amazing and Elder Riberio and I are working like crazy to help six people enter the water of baptism this month of November.

Thanks for the love and support! Until next week!

Love,

Elder Jonathan Hokanson 

October 30, 2012 Forgetting English and Eating Lunch in Rio Dos Mortes

Dear Family and Friends,

Well the event finally occured this past Tuesday...I forgot howe to speak English. As Elder Ribeiro and I were with a member who´s preparing to serve a mission, we ran into a man named Felipe. When Elder Ribeiro tried speaking Poruguese yo him he reponded that he was from France and didn´t speak very much Portuguese. That is when I had the prompting to ask him if he spoke English and he reponded, ``I speak better English than Portuguese.`` When he said this I thought proudly to myself...It´s a good thing I´m American and know English. However, as I tried to speak to him in English, I was humbled to realize that I was speaking to him in Portuguese. As I tried talking to him I could only think in Portuguese and I had a hard time traslating what I wanted to say in English. In the end I was able to receive his address in my broken english and I was humbled to realize that I am truly losing myself in this work.

To end the week of Friday we traveled 20 minutes out of town and into a rural area where we ate lunch at a member´s house. When we got to his house it was a little house in the middle of the woods with chickens, dogs and goats roaming around. As we ate lunch he made the comment that the salad we were eating was homegrown. Then I jokingly asked, ``Oh, is the chicken homegrown too?`` He responded ``Yes, freshly killed too.`` I was startled to realize I was eating one of the chickens that were walking around just outside his house.

I love you all, Have a great week!

Love, 

Elder Hokanson

October 22, 2012 Guarapuava- A Beautiful New Area, An Awesome Brasilian Companion and an Amazing Traning by President Godoy

This past week was one of the busiest and most tiring yet. This past week marked my first week in this beautiful city of Guarapuava, which is filled with hills, beautiful, ponds and lakes and many sheeky houses and apartments, at times I almost feel like I am back in the United States, but then I realize that I am thinking and speaking in Portuguse and so are all the people around me. I don´t think I realized before, since I had American companions for the past 6 months, but I actually am forgetting English and I am becoming more and more fluent every day. Everyone here, with a few exceptions of the elderly we teach who are hard of hearing and teenagers who don´t want to understand, can understand me and I am consatantly being complimented on how well I speak for an American. It truly is a blessing having a Brasilan, Elder Ribeiro, as a companion who constantly is helping me with my Portuguese, complimenting me and serving me with a smile on his face. 

To cap a long week that began with transfers, on Thursday morning as 3 am we woke up and drove 3 hours in a small bus to Ponta Grossa, where we were trained by President Godoy of the 70. While there Sister Cordon shared  my and Elder Funk´s miracle story, without specifically using our names, of the 4 baptisms we had at the end of September to illustate that with faith and hard work all things are possible. From President Godoy I learned that we as missionaries, members and non members of the church we need to always remember who we were before this life (Spirit Children of God), who we are now (Children of God), and who we can become, (Gods and Goddesses).

This work is the work of the Lord and we each have the responsibilty to establish the church where we are. 

I love you all, thanks for the love and support!

Love,

Elder Jonathan Hokanson