Week 84

Hi Mom!! :)

The week was good! Ups and downs :) I had some really nice experiences this week, and a little opposition to keep me humble - I'm grateful for that though :) Yes, transfers are coming up this week! I can see just about anything happening - both staying, me leaving, Elder Tiatia leaving - but I'm feeling like we'll both stay. We'll see how accurate I am! Yesterday, Sister Fraze said, "We need to have you over for dinner again before you leave!" and then a little bit later, Scottie told me, "You're going to come say bye before you leave, right?" So I hope they don't jinx me! :)

I really hope your trip is going well! You'll have to tell me all about it! If it weren't against the rules, I'd ask you to travel about 5 and a half extra hours, but... soon enough :) I've thought about our lack of missionary contact in Utah too! I only have the Texas elders to look back to for examples, really. It's kinda funny, thinking about things I saw missionaries do that I now know they shouldn't have... :)

That's so cool that Sacrament meeting was so great! Those are incredible thoughts on the Sabbath! I love that quote: "The Sabbath keeps us". That's really interesting, too, that you said that will probably be one of the determining commandments as the "sifting" is going on. I had the chance to talk to our stake president a little bit the other day, and we talked about how the wheat and the tares will be sifted. In Preach My Gospel, it says that when a community grows careless in its Sabbath Day Observance, it crumbles. It's amazing and kinda scary that such an easy commandment to break is so deciding in our blessings. Thanks, also, for the quote and your thoughts on prayer!! That's been a pretty big topic for us recently. I felt prompted to have our district meeting focus on prayer on Thursday, and then it was a main subject in church yesterday, and now here it is again! I'm so grateful that God has allowed us that way to talk and speak and grow closer to Him - it really is a privilege that we take for granted sometimes. He is constantly answering my prayers and giving me comfort when I turn to Him.

Quick question: Do you remember those Doterra allergy pills you bought me a few years ago? Were they pretty expensive? If not, do you think you could maybe grab some for me? Allergies around here are killer. I'm taking off-brand Zyrtec, which keeps it mostly at bay, but my eyes and throat are pretty itchy still. Sister Palmer also mentioned "Flo-nase" (I think?) but said it might be slightly addictive...? Anyways, I'm fine, but a little extra allergy alleviation would be appreciated :)

So, I had a pretty amazing experience the other day that I feel I should share with you. I kept your Valentine's Day note that you sent me in my box, because it was sooo nice! I came home the other day and was feeling kinda down and discouraged, and decided to read it - and it helped SO much and made me feel tons better. Then, I had a prompting to imagine that our Heavenly Mother had sent it to me, and I read it from that perspective - and started crying :) So, 1) I know that our Parents love us so much, 2) Thank you so much for that note, 3) Thank you for everything that you do to show me love and support, and 4) Thank you for being such an amazing example of what our Mother would say and be. I feel that you're a lot like Her.

I hope everything goes well for you this week! I love you so so much! Thanks again for everything - you're a bigger blessing to me than you can even imagine :) I do feel and truly appreciate your constant prayers!

Love,
Elder Connor Hopkin

"The 6th ward Dream Team"

Sister Huff, Sister Bird, Elder Hopkin, Elder Tiatia

Modesto, California 6th Ward

March 19, 2017

"Home-made A&W rootbeer at the second A&W ever built - pretty darn good" :)

Elder Hopkin

Modesto, California 

March 20, 2017

Week 83

Hi Mom!!!!!! :)

The week went great! I am good, my companion is good, etc :) I'm glad things are going well at home! Thanks for the reassurance :) I haven't been too worried or anxious, luckily, but it came up every once in a while, especially last week for some reason. I'm so excited for you and your paid vacation!! That's going to be so fun I'm sure! Where are you going again? That's way cool about Dad and the Rabbis too - and one speaking in sacrament meeting! I'm sure that will be fascinating! I'm still so happy about Makaeli getting accepted to BYU, whether she chooses to go or not. Is there a big tuition difference? I'm guessing she got some kind of scholarship to SUU, but has half tuition to BYU? That's great that Bryn is enjoying work - she's so solid :) And Ethan continues to be more well-rounded than the rest of us combined, huh? :)

That's so nice of you to throw that shower for Angie! I'm glad she's getting married, cause I get an extra tie now! Plus it will be nice for her to have a husband :) I continue to pray that all goes smoothly with all the planning, etc. And I didn't know Ashley's pregnancy is high risk...but that makes sense. I'll be sure to pray!!

Not too much to report this week. We had a great zone conference, and the assistants drove us - Elders Grover and Baird. It's so fun seeing Elder Grover around, and Elder Baird is such a good missionary, so it was fun to be with them for a little! Hm...oh, we were told about this bike trail that's in a park in the middle of our area! We had no idea it was so accessible, but the sisters told us about it, and now we're using it a ton! It certainly beats driving on the road, uphill :) It's so gorgeous too! And it cuts our biking time by about 5 minutes! So that's been putting me in a good mood :) We had a couple lessons with some of our incredible investigators, and I just love them so much!! There are a ton of members that have been such a big help to us too, and I'm growing to love them more and more! I better not be transferred in a couple weeks!! :)

For our zone conference, we were supposed to find our favorite parable; I couldn't decide so I chose two :) The first was the Parable of the Prodigal son. I love the way the father reacts: "But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him" and said, "This my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found." I think of how the Savior feels and reacts when we, constant sinners, repent and return to Him. Nothing makes Him happier. I think, like the father, He doesn't wait for us to come all the way to Him; but as soon as we start towards Him, He runs to us. I also chose the Parable of the Pearl of Great Price: "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls; Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it." There are so many pearls of great price to be had in the Church and the gospel. When we are willing to sacrifice whatever the Lord requires, we will find the joy that can come. Anyways, just a couple thoughts for the week!

As far as the moles go, I'll send you some pictures next week if that's ok. I'm not overly concerned, but 5 months can be a while for that kind of stuff, so it might be good at least for Angie and Alisha to check them out! Thank you so much for being willing to help with that!!

Thank you for your thoughts and reassurance and help! Thanks for always sending such wonderful emails!! I love you so much!!! :)

Love,
Elder Connor Hopkin :)

1) A member in our ward made us MINIONARIES! :)

2) Elder Carling, right at the end of last transfer

Elder Carling and Elder Hopkin

3) Valentines Day ties! :)

Elder Hopkin and Elder Tiatia

Week 82--19 Months And Counting....

Well, it sounds a bit crazy, but this last week Connor hit 19 months served with 5 to go. I will admit that last month went by pretty fast for me. Don't know what the next 5 will do, but I will take it! I am torn between wanting him to return and being able to see him again and not wishing away his last few months. Although 24 months is long, and believe me, it has seemed long, it is only 24 months. And, you can't ever get them back. A mission is a once-in-a-lifetime adventure and I want it to be the very best it can be for him because I know once it is over it eventually becomes just a wonderful memory. Hopefully the lessons, the testimony and personal conversion, the experiences, and the friendships gained while serving stay with you forever. But, you never get to go back and do it again. So, I will try to contain my excitement. I will try not to mention it too often--especially to him. I will hope that these next 5 months are his very best yet--and who am I to stand in the way of that?


Hi Mom!!!! :)

HAHAHA those pictures are so funny! And Bryn's quote! :) I'm glad the surgery is all over, and I will definitely pray for a more speedy recovery! Ah, I half-way want the time to fly by too...but kinda not at the same time! Last week, I got to see Elder Feltman at a zone conference; he's probably one of the most focused missionaries that exists - and even he said that he thinks about going home every once in a while! So that made me feel a little better :)

That's SO exciting about Makaeli's acceptance!!!!! That would be so fun to have her there at school with me! But, SUU is a great place too, I'm sure :) Either way, I'm sure it feels good to be accepted there! That's fun with Ethan's play too, and him growing up so much! I'm so excited/scared to see how much older everyone is :)

Good luck with the bridal shower! That's so much fun!! I'm so glad Angie is doing well and is so happy - I keep that in my prayers from time to time, to make sure things go smoothly :) Ashley emailed me today with a very funny and descriptive narrative on pregnancy - I now know just a little bit more of the pain and awkwardness.... :) Thanks for passing the message on from Katy! If you get the chance, tell her hi for me too; and sorry for not sending any group emails or pictures and also I'm the worst.... and I'll be sure to email her in less than 5 months :)

Thank you so much for those thoughts! I copied and pasted and printed, cause I'm going to be sure to study those again soon :) I love that one from Elder Ballard - sometimes we're on top of everything and sometimes we just gotta hold on and trust that things will work out. I found and really appreciated that one a few months ago when I had some questions! And I love the reminder - basically about how God cares more about our growth than our comfort. He knows best, huh? :)

Quick medical thingy: I've noticed a couple moles that to me (it being remembered I'm not a doctor) seem slightly irregular. None of them hurt or anything, but they're just not perfect circles. What brings this up, is that a few days ago I woke up and there seemed to be some kind of scab on a mole that's on my neck, and when I looked closer it almost seemed to be a discolored skin tag or something - I couldn't see it all that well though. Luckily, I saw Sister Palmer the next day and asked her about it. The thing is, yesterday it disappeared! So maybe I just made it bleed during the night and it was really just a scab? ANYWAYS! Sister Palmer said that the mission doesn't deal with any dermatology, but what we can do is this: I can send pictures to you, and if you're worried you can find a dermatologist in this area and set an appointment for a Monday; then tell President Palmer, and he'll approve it and I can get them checked. We would need to use our own insurance. Or, we can just wait the 5 months. Any preferences? Sorry to add that to your have-to-worry-about list! I'm not too worried about it, but I wanted to ask you!

Everything is going well here! Good progress in some ways, and some regress in other ways. Normal missionary life :) I've felt a weird anxiety the past couple days, though, about everything at home... everything's ok right? Just want to make sure :) My companion is great, my ward is great, my district is great! We're teaching some REALLY cool investigators right now! I love them so much! :)

Well, I hope the week goes well! You're such a blessing to me! Thank you so much for everything!! I love you so much and miss you so much and can't wait to hear from you next week, and talk to you in May, and see you in August! Fun stuff coming up :) LOVE YOU!!!

Love,
Elder Connor Hopkin :)

Week 81

Hi Mom!!!! :)

Those are fun updates, thank you!! Haha basketball season is always the worst for me - it's so hard to keep your eyes away :) Any updates on Makaeli's college plans? I've been really curious! And that's awesome for Ashley! She's gonna have her hands full! :) I'll plan on sending some stuff with Sister Fraze, then - it'll be nice to get rid of some stuff. There is a lot of junk, though, that I'll probably just drop off somewhere :)

As far as the weather goes: There's a river called the Tuolumne that basically forms the bottom boundary of our area. With them releasing some water from the Don Pedro dam, there was a little bit of flooding in some of the lower areas that are close to the river. On Tuesday, we actually helped a less-active member dig out trenches and put some metal sheets to protect his house, and I think he ended up needing it. I don't think the flooding has been as bad as a lot of people were worried it might be. I've seen the river nice and big, but I haven't even encountered the flooded housing areas at all. It's been so crazy with the rain! I think I'm starting to get used to biking wet :) It's been really nice the last few days though, luckily! Let's see... as far as the work goes, we found a new investigator that is so awesome! We street contacted him a couple weeks ago, and he loves what he's hearing and learning! He's such a cool guy! A couple of our investigators made some good progress, some didn't. Regular missionary work :) I've been trying to come up with some exciting stuff from the last week, but can't really think of anything! Just a typical week :) We did have exchanges this week, which was fun. We're doing exchanges different now, though, where both sets work in our area. It made for a fun evening :)

Those are really cool thoughts about the creation!! I've never really thought anything about actually applying that doctrine, you know? I always just looked at it as a bit of information - but those are really good points that we can actually apply into our lives! I've been studying quite a bit about the Fall, just trying to understand it more. I love in Jesus the Christ, how he explains so well the need that we have for our Savior, because of the Fall. Because of the physical and spiritual death that came into the world, we could never come back to our Father. That's why Christ chose to, out of love, sacrifice Himself and die for each of us. It makes me that much more grateful for what He did.

Oh, I did get both the bag and the package! THANK YOU! :) The bag is perfect, and I loved my package so much! Elder Tiatia told me to make sure to thank you. His candy is basically already gone! I've been a little more controlled, but I've eaten way too much sugar over the last few days :) And I'm already wearing my new tie for the 3rd time today! Plus, I'm SO excited for my Dairy Queen :)

Well, I think that's all! Sorry it was a little dry with the updates and stories this week! I'll be looking forward to the updates next week! I love you so so much, and I'm so grateful for you! Thank you for being such an incredible mother!! This week, I was just praying and thanking Heavenly Father for such good parents, and it helped me realize just a little bit more how lucky I am to have been raised by you! So thank you :) I love you!

Love,
Elder Connor Hopkin :)

Week 80

So, I finally got Connor's Valentine's package sent to him, but not in time for him to get it even this week. Now it will be REALLY late and I have learned my lesson about procrastinating (I hope). The other disappointing thing is that in my rush to get it sent off, I didn't get any pictures of it. While that may not matter to him or to anyone else reading the blog, it does matter to me. I will NEVER remember what I sent--I hardly can already as it is. That is why I take the pictures, to remind myself for the future packages I send. But, it is what it is and I will just have to try harder next time to be more organized. Anyway, I did get an awesome picture from Sister Fraze on Sunday night. Those always make me super happy. So, the picture follows the email.

Hi Mom!!!! :)

Ok, new email time with the transfer! 10:30-12:00. Just so you know :) Thank you for taking the time to email me in the morning so I have it when I get on - I really appreciate it! I really like hearing from you :)

Ah, that french toast was SO good! Please don't tell her this, but yours is a bit better.... but I'll take what I can get :) I've been trying to eat better recently - and I got totally messed up with that dinner. 6 pieces, full of nutella and syrup, with tons of salty, greasy bacon and at least 3 cookies.. it was bad. But so good :)

The mission actually gets our packages to us on Wednesdays now. So I'm guessing the package got there on Thursday, and the bag on Friday, and both are just sitting there :) But I'll have a very nice upcoming Thursday, and I'm very excited :) Thank you for taking care of that! The bag has been holding up quite well - but it will be nice to have a new one that can maybe even be used when I get home! Speaking of... I have a lot of random clothing that I don't use at all and will be excess weight in 6 months. Sister Fraze said she's going to Utah in April I think, and can bring a box or two from me. I'll be sending some things, but should I include the clothes? I was thinking about donating some of them, especially the useless ones, to places around here. Do you care at all?

That sounds like a super fun birthday for Makaeli! And I'm glad you enjoyed your Valentine's day! Valentine's day is definitely very different as a missionary :) I had a perfect one though - we were talking to this guy on the street, and a cute little girl that was with him looked up at us and said, "Happy Valentine's Day!" and gave us both a piece of candy... that was all I needed :)

No worries with the college stuff! It was good for me to get a slight idea of what's going to be going on. Thank you for taking the time to send that for me! I'm strangely excited to get back into school! I'm guessing that will change after about 24 hours of it though! And thanks for saying hi for Daniel and Russell - give them a hi from me if you get the chance!

I LOVE that quote you sent me! President Palmer just sent an email to the missionaries about how joy isn't found in fun or personal gratification but in the small moments when we see hearts change, or when we choose an act of obedience, etc. I've definitely had those moments in my mission where someone gives me a compliment, or I witness someone feeling the Spirit and finding the joy of the gospel, or I choose to talk to someone that isn't interested but is now one step closer to accepting it in the future. I think that kinda goes along with your quote and thought - it's the small and simple things that make a difference for those around us and for us. Thanks for sending me that!

Our area is doing great! We have two wonderful people that have committed to baptismal dates in March and April, and we've found a few new investigators. We had a lot of people at church yesterday, which is not very common

Well, I should probably go - I'm gonna send Makaeli an email! I love you so much! THANK YOU for everything you do for me! I pray for you constantly! I hope your next week goes well! I love you!!!! :)

Love,
Elder Connor Hopkin :)

Sunday, February 19, 2017

Elder Tiatia and Elder Hopkin

Week 79

Connor's letter for the week and a few pictures at the end. Enjoy!

Hi Mom!!!! :)

Well, I'm pretty sure I finish and close my emails the exact same way too... So I know where you're coming from :) And every time you say them, it sounds very sincere and I love it! So no worries at all! :)

As far as transfers go, we are staying the same! I think this is the 1st transfer call I've ever gotten where something didn't change in my companionship, area, or assignments. The only other times it's happened were when I stayed with Elder Jones for another transfer... and the assistants forgot to call us that time; and then with Elder Griffin...and we didn't call ourselves. So this is a first! :) I'm really excited to keep serving with him, and in this area. I feel that there are several people here that we've built good relationships that we can keep teaching together. And Elder Tiatia is a great companion, so I was more than fine sticking with him! I was kinda thinking I might be done serving as a district leader, but I still have at least another transfer of that, which I'm glad about. This area is so great - so much work to do! The only problem is that sometimes there's too much to do... so it's kinda overwhelming. We had a pretty mixed week. On Wednesday, we committed an investigator to a baptismal date, and found 2 new investigators! Then for a couple days, basically nothing happened. We ran into some very interesting people here and there as well, so that was fun :) I've had different situations in this area that I have no experience with at all, so that's been a great opportunity to learn and grow, and to feel some anxiety :)

Thank you for the updates! I'll definitely pray! I'm glad Makaeli had fun, and that's too bad that boys aren't old/good enough for Bryn :) At least she's rich! I hope everything goes well for Makaeli with BYU! That would be really fun to have her around on campus! And it sounds like Ethan did super well at his bee! I was never brave enough to get into those! And yay for all the other exciting things going on!!!

So, my bag is broken. It's still usable, but it could give out at any time. Am I mistaken, or is there a 2-year warranty on it? I took some pictures that I'll send to you, in case that's necessary. Do you mind seeing if they'll send me another one? That would be very helpful! Thank you so much for the Valentine's box! I'm super excited!!

AHHH that college stuff was crazy! Is it bad that I didn't understand half of it? I guess it'll be like a mission huh? You're 100% lost at first, then after a while you kinda get used to it to where you're only 50% lost and can kinda figure things out? Is that just life? I feel like that's one of the mysteries that kids never figure out - you never quite know what's going on, huh? Or maybe I'm just dumb :) Thank you for getting the rooming all figured out! I really really appreciate all the work you're putting into that!

That's CRAZY that Kayla is home! Sister Neeley, who came out with me, goes home on Wednesday.... what?! One good thing is coming of my short time left though... I realized that I do not want to get home, and be thumbing through Preach My Gospel, and realize all the stuff I never read or appreciated! So I'm starting a very in-depth study of Preach My Gospel so I can make sure to get everything out of the missionary guide - while I'm still a missionary! I've gotten about 3 pages into it and already learned a ton! Thank you for your testimony about prophets! I LOVE what you said about how each of us is listening to someone... so why not listen to the people that tell us what God is saying!? :) I totally agree!

As far as the flooding and dam goes... I had no idea :) I did notice the river in our area was a little fuller than usual, but that wasn't too surprising because it's been pretty full this last month or so. So, no, we aren't having problems with it, as far as I'm aware! :)

Well, thank you again for everything you are always doing to bless my life!! I don't know how to thank you for all you do for me. It seriously feels so good to get some words from you and get a bit of communication going. I love you so so much, and I hope your week is wonderful and safe and happy! You're constantly in my prayers!

Love,
Elder Connor Hopkin :)

Here is an extra paragraph from his email to Shon that I thought was interesting and that he might want to remember later.

I had an interesting experience this week that I thought I'd mention. We were at dinner, and this lady's son came over, and started being very condescending, rude, and aggressively antagonistic to the church, and especially us as missionaries. I don't think I've done anything to lose the Spirit, and I prayed at that moment that I wouldn't be "confounded before men", but I was shaking and stuttering and lost the whole time! While thinking about it afterwards, I thought about how it was a good reminder from God that, no, I can't do this alone. He'll help me when He chooses to, and this time He let me all but fail so I would remember to rely on Him. Also, I noticed in the D&C that it says I will be given the portion that shall be "meted unto every man". Maybe there wasn't anything to be meted to him. It would just bring greater condemnation to him, and would have probably made him even angrier, and possibly even violent. So maybe in the grand scheme of things, it was best that he just ran his mouth, and I wasn't able to say anything back to him. Do you have any other thoughts on that?

"Our ride to church last week!!!!" :)

"Me and Elder Stewart on exchanges! On a very rainy day." :)

"My bag!"

Week 78--Scottie's baptism!!

On Saturday evening, the 4th of February, I received a couple of messages from Sister Fraze, who lives in the ward that Connor is serving in. She has been my contact and my informer. I love her for it! Because of her pictures and the short video she sent of Connor playing the piano I knew that Scottie had been baptized! Hurraaaahhhh!! I then loved hearing from Connor and getting the rest from his side. Here is his letter for the week--a really great one, I thought! I love hearing his testimony and his stories and being able to see how much he has grown and is learning. His service truly has blessed our family in so many ways--those that I can recognize and see and then countless others that I am sure I will never know of. Our entire extended family has also seen many blessings during the time he has been serving. "[The Lord is] seriously so good!"

Hi Mom!!!!! :):)

That was such a good email :) So many happy things going on, and such a strong testimony! Thanks for that!

Where to start... hm... First of all, that IS CRAZY that Makaeli is almost 18!!! And Grandpa 70? And Faith 16? And Lisa something? :) That's weirding me out pretty bad. I realized a few weeks ago that I'm closer to being 20 than I am to being 19 (if that makes sense). Time goes quick! That's super exciting for Angie! And Ashley!? That's so amazing! That'll be super fun :) Thank you for helping me notice that my mission is blessing the family as well... I really appreciated that. I was thinking the other day about the half tuition I'm receiving, and how I might not have gotten that 2 years ago. God is constantly blessing me for my measly and all-but-pathetic service to Him. I'll come back to that later! If you could tell Grace congrats for me, that would be great! I'm glad you're liking your job! That vacation sounds too good to be true! The testimony you shared with me seems to be a blessing you're already getting from her - one of the reasons you two have been put together. A strengthened testimony of the gospel for you, and I'm sure countless blessings for her that she's received from you.

I'm glad you got the pictures of Scottie's baptism!! It was so exciting! That family was being put under a lot of stress from the adversary as he prepared to be baptized, and there were some complications with scheduling the service, so I was very grateful it all worked out. Elder Tiatia was there to help Brother Otto (the great-grandfather) with the prayer and with getting Scottie back on his feet. As they were all drying off, Scottie yelled to me from the stall. "I feel like I could eat a million rainbows! If cupcakes were rainbows, and rainbows were cupcakes, I would definitely eat a million rainbows!... That would be a big cupcake in the sky!" That plus the picture should give you a pretty good idea of his personality. :) He was confirmed by Brother Otto yesterday, and I was able to confer the Aaronic priesthood on him. I also followed him around as he passed the sacrament for the first time, which was a great experience!

Story of the week: Elder Tiatia and I were trying to contact a referral that we've tried several times. She wasn't home... but her pit bull was! He started barking at us through the gate as we walked up, then after we had knocked a couple times, we heard a big clank and the gate was open... and the dog was out. We hurriedly grabbed our bikes and quickly walked about a house over, then stopped to figure out where to go next as the dog kinda roamed around his yard. But he started walking towards us - then running! Scariest moment of my life! We got on our bikes (helmets off), and he chased us for about a block! We rode to safety and texted the referral, and a few minutes later she asked us to look around a bit for him. We went back to the house, and her neighbors had gotten the dog and put him back. They told us he's really a nice dog... but I disagree :)

We had interviews with President and Sister Palmer as well this week, which was great! They're the best; I'm so grateful that I've gotten to serve with them! We had a few good lessons with a couple other investigators too. It was a pretty good week overall! As far as the schedule changes go, I'm really liking it! We plan in the morning, which is a little more logical. We have an extra half hour in the morning to get ready (I spent 18 months figuring out how to get ready in so little time!) and some extra time at night. Preparation days are a little different, but I like it overall. We get an extra 15 minutes of email time, which is nice :)

So, a couple thoughts from the week. Like I started mentioning earlier, I feel like I've been a little too needy towards Heavenly Father lately... just asking for tons of blessings and not really truly grateful for the countless blessings He's given me. I was reading in Mosiah 2, which explains that even if we served God with ALL that we are, and rendered Him thanks for ALL He has given us (which is impossible because we'll never truly know how much He has done for us) we would still be unprofitable servants. It really kind of put me in my place and helped me try to think about all the things He has done for me. He's seriously so good! I'm constantly asking Him for confirmations of my testimony, even though I've been given a million, and He continues to give them to me! He always gives me so much of what I ask for, and much more. So I've been trying to be a little more grateful. Another thing I learned this week was after Scottie's baptism. I was praying for confirmation that everything went well with the baptism, etc, and I had this overwhelming feeling of peace and joy. I could feel God's love for Scottie, and for all the people I've taught on my mission, and His infinite desire to have them and all of us back, and how grateful and eternally happy He was about Scottie being one step closer to Him. It was a reminder to me of the important work we're all doing as missionaries and member of His church, and of the infinite love He has for each one of us personally.

Thanks again for your thoughts and testimony, I really enjoyed them! So, question: In my interview with Sister Palmer, we talked about college and stuff, and she mentioned that there's a sister here that was planning on doing chemistry or something related, then saw the classes for biochemistry and thought they sounded much better. Any thoughts? Have you seen the classes for both Chemical Engineering and Biochemistry? I logically am leaning towards ChemE, but I have a weird feeling towards biochemistry. Anyways, thanks again for all the help and effort you're putting into getting me ready for college!

Don't ever worry about long emails, I love them! And I'm glad I got a little time today to write a little longer. It's nice to be able to think a little about what you're writing :) I love you so much! Thanks again for the updates! I hope you have a great, fun, safe, successful week :) LOVE YOU!

Love,
Elder Connor Hopkin :)

Pictures of the baptism and Connor playing the piano at the baptism. I sure miss hearing him play!!

 Scottie's baptism!!

Saturday, February 4, 2017

 Scottie, Elder Hopkin, Elder Tiatia

Saturday, February 4, 2017

Modesto, California 6th Ward

 Elder Hopkin

February 4, 2017