Good News! and the game with RMHS

I made the Chamber Orchestra at Red Mountain! It is the highest orchestra at the high school! I am so excited to play with a really talented and big group. The best part about this is that we will be able to go to California and since we are there we are stopping at Disneyland! I am so happy I made it.

Yesterday was my first baseball game with Red Mountain High School's summer baseball league. I did really well. I was warming up doing stretches and stuff and the coach was like where's Hooper. He found e and said hey you are starting us off pitching. I was like....what!? I was happy, excited, nervous, scared all at the same time lol. I went and warmed up with the catcher and I threw ok. I started off the game throwing nothing but strikes. It was probably my best pitching I have ever done. 1st batter got out on a pop fly the second batter got out from a grounder to shortstop and the last out was a strike-out. Everyone was proud of me. I had strong at bats but got walked both times all on full counts cuz I was always swinging cuz i wanted to get on base and the coach liked that cuz he told everyone that that was a good at bat. I then sat for 2 innings after pitching my second inning. Then played some first base. Oh btw we lost that game but it dont matter.

Thats all for now!

Lake Trip!

So we went to Canyon Lake cause the Salt River was closed probably cuz it was to crowded. It was a lot of fun just being with my family and nobody else. It was nice to get break from all the other kids my mom babysits and just be together. The water felt great and the pay beach wasnt too crowded and it was also very nice with grass and lots of trees for shade :). I also caught my first fish and as I got it into the ice chest I started feeling really bad and was like man this fish is going to miss its family. Then my mom jut starts cracking up. I was like mom....what u laughing at and she was like fish dont have families. Then I started think how fish reproduce and they just lay eggs and stuff and leave them then those fish just go eat sleep lay eggs then die. Now I dont feel so guilty anymore and am excited to catch some mroe fish this afternoon at Red Mountain park with my friend landon. I will bring the camera and take pictures of me fishing and stuff.

just a 6" bluegill

Fishing

On saturday I was talking to grandpa about how Im going to Roosevelt lake for my teachers quorum super activity and I needed a fishing pole and he offered to get me one and a few things that I needed as well. He ended buying a bunch of stuff and wanted to make sure I could do just about everything like he got me all the different hooks for one fish and stuff like that lol. I do appreciate it alot and am so excited to go fishing now! Thanks Grandpa Hooper!

hooks

Last Week of School

Well the last week of school is always the worst cause you are so excited to finally get out of school and the days just go by so slow. It has been the most boring week. Monday and Tuesday we didnt do anything but study for finals in class and sat for an hour in the gym doing nothing for PE >:/. I did great on all of my finals i dont know about my science final but i think i might have bombed it. So today is finally the last day of school and im not bringing anything to school except a pencil and a marker to sign year books.

I also had a practice for Red Mtn high schools summer baseball league. My team is alright. The outfield needs some people who have stronger arms and thats mainly why im going to go in the outfield plus im pretty fast and can judge the ball in the air pretty well. I am really excited for our first game next wednesday.

I am going to go see Angels and Demons today at 7 and I will let you know how it is.

Catch up

Well nothing exciting has happened yet this week. It has just been a normal week of school but with lots of studying for finals. Today should be alot of fun cuz the 9th graders won the spirit contest so we get a pool party in the Shepherd pool during 4th, 5th, and 6th hour and then 3rd hour we are listening to an Olympic athlete who sucked and got 17th placed lol but she is one of our teachers daughter.

After the pool party I will get home and get ready for father and sons.

Should be a really fun weekend.

Oh yea I guess I will post about my missionary experience yesterday.

So this tough looking kid is crying about his girlfriend who broke up with him and saying he wants revenge and to make her feelings hurt badly. I said to him, "do you really want to hurt her? It isnt going to make you feel any better. Should I get a couple scriptures to help u out with this since I have them in my bag" Now I was totally joking and I happened to bring my scriputers to school oday and he said um yea id like to here some. And I was uuhhh ok. So I pulled out my scripture mastery card and looked up some scriptures about loving one another. He started feeling bad lol and then he said I dont think i am going to do anything to her anymore. He then started talking about how he wanted a sign from God telling him to either play football or not to play football. I told him thats not really how God works. So then I pulled some scriptures about how God reveals these things (by the Holy Ghost) and then I showed him James 1:5-6 if ye lack wisdom let him ask of God. He read that and was like ok yea i understand that. Then i turned to Moroni 10:4-5 and how the Holy Ghost will reveal the answer to him. He said he understood and wasnt going to football practice instead going to seek for some guidance. Now today I am going to see how he is doing and see if he'd like to come to church since it is invitation Sunday.

Eagle Project, Baseball bat

After trying to schedule a meeting with Kenny Brunk (president of Andreas Closet) since March, I finally met with him saturday at noon. I am so glad I waited for him. I this my project will be great and a lot of fun. Here is my project planned out that I also have in my eagle project papers.

My project will be benefiting Andreas Closet, which is an amazing organization that helps young children get through terrifying procedures. Kenny Brunk (President of Andreas Closet) has pre-made mobile units that he will give me and I will have to assemble a handle on the cart to push it. I will have help from my uncle Kirk Hooper welding and bolting the handle on to the cart. After the cart has been properly assembled by my scout troop, I will take it down to the graphic company. The graphic company will put the Andreas closet graphics on the cart and my name will be put on the cart.

I will be holding a toy drive at the nearest Wal-Mart to my community. Flyers, posters, toy drive containers, etc, will all be provided by Andreas Closet. Andrea Closet flyers as well as flyers I will have made giving a brief biography on myself and explain what I am doing. I will have the scouts cover different hourly shifts at the local Wal-Mart during the toy drive. Boxes for the toy drive will also be placed in the foyer of the Church.

Once the toys have all been collected, they will all be taken to my house and we will tag and record all of the toys. The toys will be put into the mobile unit and will be taken St. Joe’s Hospital and a ceremony will be held. The scouts, my family, and I are all invited to a ceremony that will be held at St. Joe’s Hospital. A big cake will be made and the press will take pictures and best of all, the sick children in that department will also be invited and will be allowed to pick out a toy of the closet.

I am very excited to get started on this and now I just need one more signature for my project to be official.

After this I went over to Grandpa Hoopers house to make another baseball bat with Kirk. This time we wanted the bat to be perfect. We used a calliper to help measure exactly also. I think the bat is legal since it is 32" and 29oz. I dont have any pictures but the barrel is Antique Red and the handle is White Oak. It looks really sharp. Kirk is going to put my name on it and stuff on Albukirkie. Thanks Kirk!

Baseball Award Ceremony

So yesterday was my baseball banquet. It was a pretty short and to the point unlike football where it never ended. I got the city champs certificate and I also got MIP (Most Improved Player). I was really hoping I would get this award. I am glad my teammates saw how much I have improved this season and voted for me. I definitely have improved a ton. There was so much new things that I have been taught playing for Shepherd. Big THANKS to Coach Hebting and Coach B.

My weekend

Well to start off the weekend I went to a baseball clinic. I really didnt learn much at he clinic but It was fun to hang out with one of my friends Mitch from the teachers quorum. After all that I drove home from shepherd for the first time and did pretty good except for the part where i didnt brake enough on the turn to preston and everything in the car flew forward lol.

Then I went to my grandpas house to make a baseball bat. I spent a whole 4 and a half hours with my uncle making this bat. I think it turned out great but it is a little to heavy. It is 32" and 41oz. A normal bat that i would use is 32" and 29oz so they bat is a whole lot heavier than the normal weight. It is still fun to use though.

I also went to a baptism for Shane Rader, a boy who has been recently coming to church and to our other activities. He asked me to speak so I wanted to make the talk especially for him. I am very proud of myself for the way it turned out. I had a lot of people crying, as well as myself. I definitely loved looking at Shane and seeing him crying and really paying close attention to me. I also learned that Shane wanted me to baptize him. I would've have loved to do that! But since I am not a Priest I cant. It was a very busy but fun Saturday. I also have my talk at the bottom to anyone who would like to read it :).

My name is Jonathan Hooper and Shane has asked me to give a talk on baptism. When Shane asked me to give a talk I was actually quite excited. I am most excited to be part of his baptism. I’ve really enjoyed Shane being in our quorum and I want him to know that we all are happy to have you in our quorum.

First off I’d like to start with the scripture John 3:5-Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” Baptism is a holy ordinance. An ordinance is a sacred ceremony that shows that we have entered into a covenant with our Heavenly Father. We covenant with the Lord to accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and to keep His commandments. In return, God promises to forgive us of our sins as we repent and to bless us with His Spirit.

Baptism is one step closer to the Celestial Kingdom. As the scripture John 3:5 said, without being baptized by water and of the spirit, we cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Being baptized by the Spirit, you are beginning a new spiritual life as a disciple or follower of Christ.

We must be baptized to become members of the restored Church—The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—and to eventually enter the kingdom of heaven. This baptism ordinance is a law of God and must be performed by His authority. A bishop or mission president must give a priesthood holder permission to perform a baptism or confirmation.

After baptism we show our faith by keeping our covenants that we made when we were baptized by partaking of the sacrament. Partaking of the sacrament weekly is a commandment. It helps us remain worthy to have the spirit with us always. It is also a weekly reminder of our covenants.The covenants that we make are… that we will take upon the name of Jesus Christ, obey all of God’s commandments, and to serve Him to the end.

After we have made our covenant and have entered into the straight and narrow path God has set for us, we must always try to stay in this path by staying away from sin. Trials will happen and no one is perfect and if you ever go astray of the path, you can repent. Once you have fully repented, you will be pack in the path to the kingdom of heaven.

Shane , You will never forget being baptized. 7 years ago I was baptized and I still remember it. I remember putting on the white suit and going down into the baptismal font with my father and I held his arm and he submersed my body under the water. I came up out of the water and knew that being baptized was a good choice.

Bear Testimony
AMEN