A (Missionary) Child is Born! 12/14/2010

Lots of news here today! First things first! ELDER LANDEEN AND I HAVE A GREENIE! His name is Elder Jacob Morris from Palmdale, California!
We got a call last week from President telling us he was going to try having Zone Leaders train new missionaries and we're one of the first. This means I am now a Zone Leader/District Leader/Trainer. Or ZDT Hops. Haha it's awesome. We literally got Elder Morris an hour ago, so we don't know too much about him, but I can tell he's going to be the MAN!

Next in line: IDAHO JUST GOT IT'S FIRST CHICK-FIL-A! So OF COURSE I had to buy a gallon of Chick-Fil-A Lemonade. It is THE BEST EVER. I can't tell everyone how excited I am at this development. There is a lack of good chicken out here. People think KFC is good. I know, they're severely misguided, but we'll forgive them for their ignorance.

So, lately, there has been something happening in Boise and the surrounding area that sounds a lot like a 1950s horror movie. It's...the Inversion! The Inversion is essentially when the clouds go from above the city to IN the city. It's pretty much foggy all the time. It's actually really cool. I feel like I live in Russia or something because we haven't seen the sun in a week or so. Which is lame, because now I can't wear any of my 15 pairs of fake Ray-Bans. Weak.

This past week, we met a family named the Searles. Josh (Dad), Amber (Mom), Cain (11), Cameron (9) and their little, crazy red-headed girl, Jasmine (2). They asked us to come over because Josh had recently been injured at work and wanted a blessing. He heard from one of his LDS friends that the missionaries gave blessings so he called us. Turns out, it was no minor accident; he had been working on concrete with a concrete chainsaw and it flipped up and hit him in the chest. AND HE LIVED. He told us he felt like God was trying to tell him to go to church, which I thought was an awesome observation to get out of taking a chainsaw to the chest. So, we taught them about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and then invited them to go to church and be baptized. They said yes on both accounts, although mom was a little skeptical about coming to church (she has agoraphobia...and if you don't know what that is, look it up...and listen to the song by the same name by Incubus.) But Sunday rolled around and they ALL came. It was amazing. Jasmine, who had never really been apart from her mommy, went to Nursery with NO complaints, the boys ran off down the hall trying to find the classrooms they'd be in for Primary Sunday School and Josh and Amber had a great time in Gospel Principles, the Sunday School for people who are just being introduced to church for the first time. They even participated in the discussions in class and attended the 3rd Hour meetings. So awesome.

I don't have a lot of time right now, so I'm going to save my Christmas message for next week. Know that I love you all and appreciate everything you do for me and that nothing brightens my day and eases my burdens more than receiving letters from folks back home. I try to respond when I get time, so don't think I don't try, but know that even if I can't, I appreciate it very much.

Until next week!

- ZDT Hops

Turkey Lurkey (11/23/2010)

So, before anything else, know that it snowed a bunch here in Meridian! I don't know the actual amount that's fallen, but it's been under 30 all day today, which I LOVE. It's way icy all over the roads and I'm just glad I have a Utah native to drive the car, because driving last winter in Rupert in snowy weather was a harrowing experience, to be sure. But it's winter again. Almost too soon, it seems. I feel like just yesterday Elder Henao and I were walking around snowy Rupert and spending Christmas in Christmas City, USA. Time flies, man.

We drove to Cascade, ID this past week to meet up with the Elders up there and do an interview with someone who wanted to be baptized. It's about a 2 hour drive on some twisty, winding roads on the edge of a river; a way fun drive. Elder Landeen and I took the trip with Elder Anderson and had such a good time just talking, listening to some of the addresses given from the past General Conference on CD and stopping to take pictures along the way. Elder Anderson, at a gas station on the way home, decided to get some ice cream. They charge for the cone and say there's "no limit" on the ice cream amount. Apparently they didn't (and neither did I) know that Elder Anderson is the undisputed ice cream cone-making KING. He put SO much ice cream on that little cone, I couldn't believe it. Here's a picture:This past Sunday, I had the occasion of speaking in church in one of the wards we cover. I was asked to speak on...surprise!...Thanksgiving. After giving much thought, and studying the scriptures and recent talks given in Conference (like on the way to Cascade) I decided my talk would have a main theme, which was: Life's Not Fair.

See, I figured it all out. Sometimes bad things are going to happen to good people. sometimes tragedy strikes when we're not ready. And sometimes we have a raincloud that hovers only over us. But what I realized is that usually, more than we give credit for, GOOD things happen. More often than not, good things happen to good people. More often than not, blessings are bestowed upon us when we least expect it. And more often than not, the sun shines happily upon our daily routine. The message I want to share with whoever reads these posts (all three of you :P) is that life's NOT fair; we have it WAY too good to think that it is. If life was fair, we'd probably be miserable a lot more than we would be happy.

So this season, give thanks. Thank God for family and friends who stand by you and support you when knees are weak and arms are heavy. Thank God for food on tables, roofs overhead and clothing on backs. Thank God that life's not fair. He loves us. I know it. And I know that as we realize the many blessings He's given us day to day, we'll come to know that love more fully. I'll leave you with the lyrics to one of my favorite songs:

When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings; name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings; ev’ry doubt will fly,
And you will be singing as the days go by.

So amid the conflict, whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged; God is over all.
Count your many blessings; angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. Know that I am thankful for each and every one of you. Please take time this holiday to count your many blessings "and it will surprise you what the Lords has done."

With all possible gratitude,

- ZL Hops

Mer[ID]ian (11/16/2010)

So, I just realized this city has the state's abbreviation in it. Go figure. Another thing I noticed this week is that Elder Landeen says "Sandy" like Danny Zuko from Grease!. It's actually pretty funny. He and I get along splendidly. It's also cool how we came out at the same time, so we can relate to each other in aspects pertaining to that.

For example, in the same vein as last letter's comment about Christmas, every six months, the Church has what's called General Conference. During Conference weekend, the Prophet and the Apostles of the church prepare talks on different subjects that they feel the world needs to hear about. It's a pretty special thing since it isn't just for members of the Church, but anyone who wants to watch and listen. Anyway, like I said, it happens every six months; in April and October. We were driving some Elders in our Zone around (which, if you haven't already gathered, is a major theme of our time/conversations) and they commented on how cool it was to see Conference on their missions. For one, this was his first; the other, his second. Elder Landeen and I both noticed how we had only one more to go before going home.

Don't worry, we don't sit around all day thinking about home and griping or anything. Just, every so often, someone will say something and you'll realize how much is behind you and how seemingly little you have before you. In all reality, it helps motivate you to stay focused for the time you have left.

Today, we played dodgeball for 3 hours. As I sit here and type this, my whole body aches, but it's such a good feeling. There's something about dodgeball that's different than most games. I think it's the nearly constant flow of adrenaline for the duration of every game. You're either dodging, ducking, dipping, diving or...dodging. If you're not doing one of those things, you're usually out. I think another aspect that makes it so great is the balls you use. Whatever sport you're using them for, you always feel like a kid back on the playground. Think about it: foursquare (my favorite), kickball, dodgeball, etc. They're all awesome!

To finish, I'd like to share a quote from James E. Faust. It's a really inspiring video and if you have time, please watch it:



In a world so quick to change, it's good to know the Gospel is something we can hold on to. I know Jesus Christ lives and I know He and our Heavenly Father love us more than we realize.I love you all very much and appreciate your continual support!

Yours 'til Niagra Falls,

ZL Hops

Lead, Kindly Light (11/9/2010)

So, I transferred late Tuesday night into the great city of Meridian, Idaho! It has around 50,000 people and is one of the wealthier areas of Idaho. I love it here. It's like Star. I know we didn't live in a rich neighborhood or anything, but being around people who are in the upper middle class is just more my thing. Probably why I wasn't called to Argentina. (Also, I don't know if you guys know the company Scentsy, but the owner/founder lives in one of our wards and is an AWESOME fellowship-er. He brought a whole family to church on Sunday!)

Elder Landeen is from Sandy, Utah (Like Elder Henao!) and was initially called to serve in Mongolia. Since then, the communists took over and told the church they'd have to pay to have visas for missionaries over there. Of course, the Church won't be subject to extortion, so they had to pull out all non-Mongolian missionaries. Elder Landeen came out July 8th, 2009, which may sound like a familiar date since it's the day I came out! We get along really well. Probably better than any other companion I've had. He's definitely a good friend already, like Elders Henao and Arnoczky are. We live with the Bearss family (pronounced like the alcoholic beverage) in Garden City, a small suburb of Meridian...which is a suburb of Boise...it's complicated haha.

So, as some of you may or may not know, I was recently called to be a Zone Leader. That means I'm now in charge, along with Elder Landeen, of about 25 missionaries serving from Meridian all the way to McCall, Idaho, about 2-3 hours north. We attend all of their District Meetings and help them out whenever they require assistance, while STILL keeping missionary work going in our own Stake. We cover five wards right now. I am also serving as the District Leader of the Eagle District, which means I have to provide a two-hour training meeting every week for those Elders and Sister, like I did in Twin Falls.

Being at 16 months is weird. To me, it's the last pure month before home starts seeming close. 17 months seems too close to 18 months, which means I only have 6 months. Haha, that sounds really stupid, but it makes sense in my head. 16 months is also the two-thirds mark of the mission, for those of you who aren't gifted in math, but it still doesn't seem like I've been out that long. It's funny, today Elder Landeen and I were talking to some Elders from our zone we were driving somewhere and they were talking about how strange it was going to be to have Christmas away from home. It hit us that this would be our second, and thereby last, Christmas on the mission. That was a weird feeling.

We also have had Elder Begg, a good friend of mine that I served around in Rupert, serving with us for a few days before he gets the Big Transfer. He'll be reassigned to his home in Odessa, FL. It's funny, I met him when I was but 3 months old in Rupert and now he's going home. There's certainly an odd vibe about him as he's excited/sad/nervous about going home. I feel that way in tiny bits from time to time, knowing that this is all going to end in 8 months. I'm excited, of course, to be reunited with friends and family once again, but seeing the change that the Gospel of Jesus Christ brings to people's lives on a daily basis is an experience comparable to almost nothing else. It is truly a privilege to be called of God to serve Him and help others see the goodness He has in store for them. It brings to mind one of my new favorite scriptures from the Old Testament: Nahum 1:7. "The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him."

I know the Lord DOES know those that trust in Him. In the analogy of a great friend, if we'll be trust in Him, have faith, hope and charity, and let Him drive the motorcycle while we sit in the sidecar, we can never go wrong. He will direct us into paths of righteousness and happiness. This much I know.

Until next time, my friends,

ZL Hops

Letter 9/21/10 - Food Service

Hello Folks,

So, a few weeks ago, I went to the Twin Falls County Fair. Scratch that. A few weeks ago I WORKED the Twin Falls County Fair. There's a local restaurant called Papa Kelsey's that sells subs and pizzas and they had a stand at the fair. Because the Kelsey family houses a pair of the missionaries, we all agreed to work for free during the week.

Thus was my introduction to the food service industry.

We arrived around 9 in the morning, ready to work. I'll admit, I was a bit apprehensive to be working in food services, as I never had previously done so. Nevertheless, I was willing and ready to do whatever it took to do my best and make the Kelsey family name continue to shine in the Twin Falls community. Plus, if I'm ever going to live in New York, I'm going to have to learn how to work in food. That's literally a requirement to live there.

Upon arrival, Alec Baldwin greeted us and told us the responsibilities we would be in charge of. We could either work in the kitchen or register. I didn't really feel like being in charge of money, math and standing in one place, so I said I'd man the kitchen. Alec said that would be a good idea (Ok, so it wasn't REALLY Alec Baldiwin, it was one of the Kelsey Sons, but he looks JUST like him!)

So, he lead me back into the little trailer/kitchen thing and introduced me to Lincoln, which was the giant sandwich oven. I will, from this point on, refer to it as Lincoln. So, my job was to assemble each sub, feed it to Lincoln and then wrap it in foil afterwards. Then, I would mark the foil as to what sandwich I had made. The code was as follows:

P = Pizza Sub
H/C = Ham and Cheese
T = Turkey
3M = Three Meat
IC = Italian Combo

After each wrapper was marked, I would then put a smiley face at the end, because everyone needs a smile. We also made little personal pizzas; cheese pepperoni and combos. Here are some photos of me and Lincoln tearing it up:


A tradition I started once we started getting a good flow of customers was that everytime we'd get a sale, when the register "binged" we would all yell "HEY!" at the top of our lungs. It made working seem a little more fun. Also, we were allowed to have free food and drinks the whole time we worked. Nothing better. By the time 5 o'clock rolled around and our shift ended, I was a bit bummed. It had been fun working the Papa Kelsey's stand and I eally didn't want to go. It seemed odd to me that I had so much fun doing what other people wouldn't do unless they got paid. But hey, now I know what food service is like, and you know what?

I can't wait to do it again.


Yours in pizza subs,

DL Hops

Nuh-VAH-duh

Dearest People In the Normal World,

Recently, I have done some fun things. I went to Nevada, learned to play pinochle and tried my hand at the food service industry. Over the next three weeks, I will explain these things, one event at a time.

So, one lazy Friday afternoon, Elder Mitchell and I had nothing doing. We had contacted most of the people we had set to see, and most people were out of town on account of the Twin Falls Fair in Filer, ID. (Yes, the Twin Falls Fair is not in Twin Falls. See also: Raleigh, NC Temple) Twin was empty I mean, it was DEAD. No cars or anything ANYWHERE. Labor Day and the Fair made the townspeople disappear faster than folks do on the Twilight Zone. So, we called the other Elders serving in Twin (Elder Wall and Elder Gossling) and invited them to join us in going to lunch.

In Jackpot, Nevada.

Jackpot is somewhat of Mission legend, in that it is the southernmost part of the mission and the only part of our mission in Nevada. It just so happens to be in my district, too. Missionaries often speak of Jackpot and how it is an oasis in the midst of the desert. Only an elect few have been there, according to the stories, and if you are fortunate enough to go, you won't be disappointed. So they say.

I'm here to tell you what Jackpot is REALLY like.

We drove about an hour and saw literally nothing, except a rad Camero and a horse staring into a house, which was pretty funny/creepy. I've included photos for reference. Enjoy.

But, when I say we saw nothing, I mean it. I even got Elder Wall to be a second witness to the lack of interesting things on the way to Nevada. Here is his opinion:

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From:Matthew David Wall matthew.wall@myldsmail.net
To:Mike Hopkins mike.hopkins@myldsmail.net

Date: Tue, Sep 7, 2010 at 4:21 PM

"the drive to jackpot neveda sucked. there was nothing to look at other than a champed up camero from the 80s. and jackpot was pretty wack. nothing to do there unless you gamble... and even that doesnt seem like too much fun to do there"

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It is the tiniest town ever. Ok, maybe not ever, but still. And it's so isolated from everything else that if you were to go to GoogleMaps, type in Jackpot, NV and then click "Find Nearby..." Google would laugh at you. It's hardly an oasis. It's an oasis in the way spilling your water bottle in the middle of the Sahara is an oasis.
But, we finally got there and went to the Four Jacks Casino, where the missionaries get food for free. YEAH. Gratís! We got to the state line and got pictures and then went to the Four Jacks, which was located in what looked like (and practically was) a strip mall. Ok, maybe I'm the only one who expected this but, the name of this town is Jackpot. To me, that means all it's about is casinos. Which is true. But these casinos are PATHETIC. I mean, the arcade in the back of a Cici's Pizza showed this place up. We get there and the waitress comes up and it is soon made very clear that she knows next to no English. She goes in the back to get someone who does and the smallest, meanest Hispanic I've ever seen in a greasy beater and asks, very abrasively I might add, what we want. We tell him food. He snarls and goes back to the kitchen. We sit around for about 10 minutes and start to wonder if we're ever going to have our orders taken. The waitress finally shows up and we order. I got a buffalo burger (♫Buffalo burger.♪.in my belly.♪.talking 'bout the buffalo burger.♫.in Jackpot Nevada♫ (Little Bob Marley throwback there.)) and it was actually pretty good.
Elder Wall and I then went to go to the bathroom, and when we went to wash our hands, the soap dispensers didn't work because someone had removed the handles of them. On our way out of the bathroom, a sketchy guy passed us and in his hands were the handles for the soap. Go figure.

We all got up and left, and as we did, I snapped a picture of the interior of the Four Jacks. This is it in all it's glory. One tiny little room. Although they did have my favorite machine "Betty the Yetti" (Yes, Yeti with two "Ts") for only a penny. WHAT A STEAL!

Well, moral of the story: don't go to Jackpot. People will tell you it's a hit, but it's really a bust.

Happily yours,

DL Hops

Letter - 8/24/2010

Helloooo people of Earth!

I feel like I haven't written in five evers! I am now in Twin Falls, Idaho, the largest city in Idaho's Magic Valley region. Sadly, there are no warlocks, trolls or any other magical things around. Just farms, oh and an IHOP! You know that if there's an IHOP nearby, I'm happy. Things have been really great. We live with a family named the Vippermans along with their daughter and son-in-law Ari and Derek as well as THEIR son, Brody. It is a fantastic place to live and I absolutely love it. It's fun to have people around to talk to in the morning or when we come in at night.

We've been biking a lot lately; actually, every day since I got here. Our car is in the shop. One of the missionaries who was here before me thought it would be a good idea to throw the car in park going 30. Yeah, brilliant, I know. So we've been biking anywhere between 12-20 miles a day, which I LOVE, because now I don't have to worry quite as much about what I eat since we're burning the calories. Yay, clear conscience! Also, one of my Zone Leaders was a Fitness major (or whatever major you would be in to be a personal trainer) and is making me a workout plan that requires no weights or anything, since I have none. I don't know about everyone else, but for me, the combination of eating right and doing some kind of exercise really makes me feel 100%. It doesn't mean I'm going to be ripped or anything (I mean, this is ME we're talking about) but you just feel better about yourself overall. You should try it.

So, apart from biking and also learning all sorts of songs for the uke, hings have been really busy. I'm now a District Leader, which sounds a lot more important than it really is (apart from the fact that I now have the sweet nickname of DL Hops.) I'm in charge of a weekly two hour meeting for my district, which consists of four companionships. Essentially, I just try and teach them how to be better missionaries after doing a lot of study on the same subject myself. Kind of weird, since I don't feel like I should be telling ANYone ANYthing about how to be better.

We've been meeting with a lot of different families and pretty much every hour of the day is filled with helping people overcome all sorts of personal problems such as alcoholism, family disagreements, loneliness, unemployment and a plethora of other things through Jesus Christ. It never ceases to amaze me how people's problems can be solved when and if they swallow their pride and ask for help from God and Jesus Christ. The way I always put it to people is like this: God is sitting up there with a giant, Santa-like bag full of blessings, just waiting for us to ask Him for help so he can give them to us. It may not necessarily be exactly like that, but I know that God is perfect and He is our loving Heavenly Father, and if He's perfect, then He loves us with a perfect love. All of us. Equally. He only wants what is best for us. I know that, and I know that you can know it as well if you sincerely pray and ask Him for help. He'll be there every time.

Ok, enough soapboxing for now, I hope everyone is doing well. I also (for any of you who I haven't already talked to about it) started writing part of the book I've always wanted to write. I typed up a synopsis, but it's really hard to explain exactly what I want on a page or two. that's why I'll be writing a book and not an essay or short story. But, I'm pretty excited about the whole thing. I've always been scared to try and write a book because it seems so daunting, but I'm going to do it to prove to myself that I can. See you on the New York Times Best Seller list haha

Lastly, if you've written me a letter recently and I haven't gotten back to you, please forgive me I'm trying to find time to write, so know I haven't forgotten about you, I'm just super busy. That's a poor excuse, but an excuse nonetheless.

Thanks for all your support!

Consistently yours,

DL Hops