Week 20 -- Cuidad Sandino

Like I've said, time moves weird on a mission. TIme usually moves pretty fast, except on he week of changes. But it also feels like I've been out for my entire life. But I'm glad your preceptorship is going well. It sounds like you're having a great time. And Zimbabwe? That's awesome! Her and I will probably get back at the same time, so that'll be cool. And I'm glad to hear that GD is going well. 

For me, things are going pretty well right now. We had a multi-mission conference today, and I got to be in the choir. We sang a really cool arrangement of "How Firm a Foundation" in Spanish. And the conference itself was pretty cool as well. Also, I got my new companion this week! His name is Elder Martinez, from El Salvador. He's a great missionary, and was assistant to the President for about a year. He actualy goes home this change, so I'll be "killing him". The language is still a little rough for me, but it's constantly improving. Having a Latino companion will definitely help. 

This week, we'll be baptizing Henry, Alison, and Brandon. I believe I've already told you about them. They're three kids who are super excited to get baptized. But honestly, I don't have much more to report as far as people I'm teaching goes. Hopefully I'll have more this week though.

And the church we go to is pretty cool. We're in the Barrio Ciudad Sandino, part of the Managua Stake. There's about 200 people who go on average. The people, for the most part, like the missionaries. They don't wor with us a ton though, so that can be frustrating. The chapel is about 10 or 15 minutes away from our house, walking, and the best part is, it's air conditioned. Well, at least the chapel is. The Bishop's name is Obispo Roger Rodriguez. He's a good bishop, and really tries hard to make sure that the ward is functioning well, and that the missionaries know what needs to be done. All in all, it's a good ward. Also! I need more questions about what to write about, I' all out.

Housekeepin: Yes on the beef jerky. Some more of the old fashioned candy woud be nice as well. And, if it's legal to send, some Dr. Pepper would be awesome. Also, replacement razor blades, and possibly some ties. As for little toys, that would be good as well. As for anything else, I'll leave it up to your judgement. You did a fantastic job with the last package :) Thank you so much.

Well, that's it! I love you all so much, and I'll talk to you next week!

Love,

Cooper

Week 19 -- Cuidad Sandino

So things have been going pretty well here in Ciudad Sandino. Last Wednesday, we all, as a mission, went to a place called Playa Gigante, because as a mission we achieved more than 2,060 baptisms. It's basically a huge beach (implied by the name, it literally means giant beach), where we ate hambugers and hotdogs, played games, and listen to basically two things that President Russell told us as a mission. First of all, he told us that our goal for baptisms is 2,600, which is crazy, but definitely achievable. The second part I'll tell you a little later on. 

This week we've been teaching the Cornejo-Lazo family. Basically, the missionaries talked to the parents about 20 years ago, but all of the sudden stopped coming by. But now we're teaching them, and they're awesome. All of the children are grown with kids of their own, and they all love the church. Blanca, the mother (now grandmother, I suppose), hasn't been able to go yet, but really wants to. It's kind of a struggle getting them all to church, because it means wrangling four children all under the age of eight, but it's worth it.   Again, great family.

As for what I eat, we have lunch every day at Hna Virginia's house, and for breakfast and dinner we fend for ourselves. For breakfast, we'll generally make a PB&J sandwich or something from the bakery around the corner, and for dinner, sometimes members or investigators will feed us, but generally we'll eat sandwiches or eggs. And Tang. a lot of tang. They basically have any fruit flavor you can imagine of tang here. It's awesome. We shop at a place called Maxi Palí, which is basically walmart but smaller and more.... Central-American, I suppose. My favorite snack is probably caña, which is sugar cane. you just buy them at little stands, and you can get three pieces for about 5 cordobas, and you just chew on it. It's great.

Housekeeping: For my birthday package, all I can really think of at this current moment is maybe a couple of ties, and beef jerky as always. I'll try to think of more stuff this week. But make sure that if you send any kind of food that's not factory sealed/airtight, to put it in a ziplock bag. Otherwise the humidity and heat destroys it. Ooh, that's another thing. Gallon-sized ziplock bags. good quality ones are hard to find here. And now, the other thing that President said, that might not make you too happy: Because the Latinos are now staying in the MTC for three weeks instead of two, my departure date was moved back. I will now be coming home on September 7, 2017. So that happened. 

Anyways, that's it for this week! I love you all!

Love,

Cooper

Week 18 -- Cuidad Sandino

We actually had Stake conference this last sunday as well. It was actually really cool, because my old branch president in the MTC, President Shallenberger, spoke. Apparently Pres. Russell and him are good friends. I got to go up and talk to him afterwards, which was really interesting. Also, as a bit of news I found out about two hours ago, our mission president was announced! His name is Mark S. Brown, and that is literally everything about him that I was able to find. So that change will be happening in the next six months or so.

Opening a coconut with a machete

This week, we've been teaching this really cool older woman named Carmen. She currently attends an Evangelical church, but she has been to church twice with us now, and says that she likes the feeling in our church a lot more than she likes the feeling in hers. And this last sunday, she said that we didn't have to pick her up for church (we do this for all of our investigators, because if we don't, they don't go), because she was going to beat us there. And she did! Compared to some of our investigators that we've had to drag to church, it was a miracle. 

And then something cool that's happening this week is that we get to a place called San Juan del Sur (or rather, a beach called Playa Gigante that's about an hour north of it)! President, at the beginning of 2015, set a goal with the mission that if, as a mission, we got 2,060 baptisms, he'd take us all to San Juan del Sur. We ended up baptizing, I believe, 2,158 people, also making us the highest baptizing mission in Central America  in the last 30 years. So we're going! It'll be awesome.

Well, that's about it for this week. I love you all!

Love,

Cooper

Week 17 -- Cuidad Sandino

As much as you may have had some mishaps in making your King's cake, I'm still extremely jealous that I didn't get any. But things have been going well here in Sandino, so that's made up for it, I suppose. This last week has actually been pretty good to us. Elder Elison and I have been working our butts off, and that work has started to pay off. We were able to bring six people to church, and, good news, Ruth got baptized! It took a fair bit of work, both on our side and on hers, but she finally decided to get baptized. It was a huge answer to our prayers, and I'm extremely glad that I was able to be there to experience it. And even better, I was the one who got to baptize her! All in all, it was an awesome experience. 

A person we're teaching right now is named Henry. He's a pretty cool kid, sixteen years old, like Isaac. We were contacting a street, just knocking (or rather, yelling BUENAS really loud) at every door. We get to Henry's house, and he's at his fence, and we start talking to him, but because it's a bit late, we just tell him about church, and he seems interested, and says he'll go. We stop by again, a different day, and he says that his siblings can't go that week, but they would the next week. And his mom too, if she could manage. And Henry did end up going, and his siblings seem really excited as well. It looks like this mught end up being a really cool family.

And now I'm running out of time, but one thing that was hilarious that happened last night is that one of Elder Copeland and Seneca's investigators didn't end up going to church because his neighbor told him that Mormonism wasn't true because we make blood pacts with vampires.

.... Yeah, we weren't quite sure where that one came from either.

Anyways, that's been my week! As always, I love all of you, and if anyone ever emails me and doesn't get a response, I'm truly sorry, I don't get a ton of time to write. But I always read them, and I always love them! You guys are awesome!

Love, 

Elder Hopkin

Week 16 -- Cuidad Sandino

 I honestly don't know what to say, seeing as I did just talk to you three days ago. But I really can't express how nice that was. I was so happy to see all of your faces, and talk to you all in (kind of) person. And if you really want to think about it, there's only 18 more times, or so, taking the sacrament before the next time. and when you think about it like that, it doesn't seem as long. And don't worry that you cried. Knowing both of us, it was just a matter of time. I'm surprised that we both lasted as long as we did, to be honest. 

As for my week, not much has happened since we talked. I actually got pretty sick Christmas night, and it was bad enough that Elder Elison didin't let me work the next day. But I'm doing a lot better now, so I think it was just a 24 hour bug, or something along those lines. But that Sunday ending up going pretty well. The place that Elder Elison and I had been contacting wasn't working out so well for us, so we 're going back to an area that had been pretty good, and that seems to be doing well for us. I haven't actually given those little packs out, just because we've been so busy, but I plan on doing it in the next few days as a late Christmas/New Years present. 

And finally, Mom, I promise you that you don't have to worry about coming out to Nicaragua (Side note form Aimee: I am headed to Nicaragua in May for a medical humanitarian trip, I asked him if he was okay with that. I won't be able to see him, I just didn't want to make him homesick with me in the same country at the same time as him). I will never be one to get in the way of school for you, for one, and secondly, It probably won't end up effecting me at all. I really do think that we can even call a little bit later than Mother's day, if it works better. So really, don't worry about it.

Anyways, I don't have much else going on right now. Hopefully something exciting happens in the next week though! I love you all, and have a happy New Year's from over here in Nicaragua!

Love,

Cooper