Week 22 - October 26, 2020

Hey, yall! 

Another week of quarantine in the books.  But, we got our test results back on Tuesday, and we both tested negative!  God is good.  I don't think I could handle any more quarantine.  Sadly, the other Elders that live with the one Elder who got Corona are now sick.  So they probably have to start their quarantine over again:( 

With this week being restrictive on the things we could do, I tried to stay positive!  I know a lot of missionaries are still in this quarantine-type phase and I'm so lucky that on a normal week I get to do all the things missionaries do.  I saw the blessings in so many different ways this week.

 Quarantine hikesss 

I was blessed with more time to study my scriptures.  I started the Book of Mormon over again for the 3rd time on my mission, and I find something new every day I read.  You would think they just started slipping verses in, I swear! Something new pops up every time I read, and I know that's the Spirit guiding me. 

Sister Hyde painted my Book of Mormon!!!

We are blessed with technology.  We had a goal for quarantine to teach at least 3 lessons a day. Which is about what we would get on an average day outside of quarantine. We ended up teach 4-5 lessons each day.  It was amazing! The whole reason we could do that is because of the resources God has blessed us with.  Missionary work is changing, and I don't think it'll change back! 

We got to go to the recording studio this week!  Two Sisters and Elder Pitcher were recording a song and they needed our help to film the process.  Elder Pitcher said that he really wants to do a Christmas song with me singing!!!!  So, hopefully I'll have a Christmas song dropping soon🔥

The members have been a blessing this week.  They worked so well with our friends when we couldn't be there.  A member couple brought food over to a refugee who was sick, did their laundry, and kept her company.  Amazing!  HELP THE MISSIONARIES.  Missionary work is so much more effective when members are involved. 

I could go on and on about the small and large blessings I saw, but here's a spiritual thought for ya instead:

I was reading in, "The Infinite Atonement," by Tad R Callister (must read!!) and it really struck me how important the Atonement really is.  I knew it was important and a very big part of the plan, but in the book, he says that the Atonement of Jesus Christ is the single most important event to occur in all of the history of eternity.  That's amazing. Every  Single thing in our lives can be brought back to the Atonement.  I invite you to gain a deeper understanding of the Atonement this week. See what happens:)

Well, I love you all and hopefully next week's email will be more action-packed because I'm out of quarantine tomorrow! Love you all!!! 

♡ Sister Copeland 

Pictures of the Week:

 Saying goodbye to Sister Tree who's getting transferred:( 

We may have snuck out of the house to visit our favorite kids♡

Week 21 - October 19, 2020

 Twas inevitable. 

We all knew one day we'd be in quarantine again.  It was bound to happen.  With numbers rising again and every other person testing positive, we knew it would happen.  Just didn't want it to happen so soon!

On Thursday, we are sitting with a member creating a flyer for our Swahili branch when we get a phone call from our favorite Elder Pitcher!  He had been feeling sick, but like disobedient missionaries we still saw him everyday.  He calls us and shows us a computer screen that says he tested positive. Sooooo we panicked, left the literal doctors office we were at, and went home to quarantine.  Then, a few days later, we started feeling sick.  We are getting tested today, so pray for us!  I haven't tested positive.  Yet. :)

Anyway, before quarantine, we got my Swahili grandma on date!  She is getting surgery, but she is working toward Dec 5th to be baptized.  We hope that she will stay on date, but it will be good:)  She said that from the moment she got in the country, me and sister Hyde have been like her new family. She's the only one left from her family that's alive because of the war in Africa, so she was so grateful for us.  I love her. 

We got to set up more refugee houses this week!  We had six carts of stuff in Walmart and it was wild.  It's so fun to set up the houses because I feel like an interior designer.  I get to pick their bed spreads, how their kitchen is set up, etc.  I love it.  Lots of heavy lifting, but it's so fun!  Imma be swole by the time I get home y'all, just wait💪

That's literally all that happened this week because we've been in quarantine the rest of the time.  I'm going crazy.  Y'all thought quarantine was hard?  Try being a missionary.  Just let that sink in.  I'm screaming internally. 

For my spiritual thought, I wanted to share a scripture that I've shared with a lot of people when it comes to Covid.  It's Joshua 1:9. (It's so cute that you could also say Covid 1:9) 

"Have not I commanded thee?  Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest"

God is WITH US.  Not just looking over us, but with us.  We need to have courage.  I've always heard that faith and fear can't exist at the same time.  It's TRUE.  When we have faith and trust in God, our fear goes away.  Our problems don't go away, but our fear and worry about those problems can.  God's got you. 

Anyway, that's all for this week, folks.  I'll probably be in quarantine next week, positive test or not.  So, pray for me. 

Love you all!!

♡ Dada Copeland 

Pictures of the Week:

1. Batina and me b4 Covid 

2. Whoever said online contacting wasn't dangerous is wrong

3.  The joys of online contacting

4.  Jeanvier and Cecelia!

5.   MBWA MREMBO❤

Week 20 - October 12, 2020

Let's just say this week was amazing! 

So when I first got to Swahili work here in Twin Falls, there was a goal:  Open a Swahili branch so that our people can have church in their own language.  I've now been here about four months.  And we FINALLY did it!  You're now friends with a missionary who started the 2nd officially Swahili branch in all of the United States.  Salt Lake had the first, and I, along with my district, created the second one.  AMAZING!

Yesterday was the first meeting of this said Swahili Branch, and our attendance was HUGE!  We expected not tons, but we had to keep pulling out more chairs! We, also, are gonna need a bigger room.... I got to say the opening prayer, and I will probably have to speak soon.  So cool!  My language is really gonna improve with this!!! 

 This week, we also had a cool experience in a Walmart.  We were going to buy a phone case for a lady we are teaching because she has a broken hip and cant walk or speak English, so we went to Walmart for her.  As we were walking back, we almost bumped into this guy.  We said sorry and kept walking because he was on the phone, and then I noticed he had a shirt with Rwanda (a Swahili speaking country) written on the side.  We lost him though!  We went and bought the case, and then I told Sister Hyde that I had a strong feeling we NEEDED to find him again.  So we prayed in the middle of the Walmart and then decided to go looking.  We walked around the Walmart for a long time, and them FINALLY spotted him.  But he was on the phone still, so we kinda followed him around haha. He was looking at bananas and got off the phone and I walked right up to him and started talking to him.  I asked him where he was from and he was from the Congo.  He didn't have a church to go to because he doesn't have one he can understand, so we got his number and he's gonna come to church next week!  I know that God leads us to the people we need to talk to!!

I got invited to an African birthday party!  It was so fun. They had really good food, lots of fun dancing, and lots of people to talk to.  Also, let me tell y'all, African parties are different.  So good. 

Also, bragging moment:  My district (3 companionships) had a goal to find 10 new people to teach (which is a lot to begin with), and we ended up finding 20 NEW PEOPLE TO TEACH!  We kinda popped off, not gonna lie. 

Spiritual Thought:

I was reading in Jesus the Christ this week about prayer, and this line stuck out to me. "Pray in actual communion with God to whom the prayer is addressed. Prayer is made up of heart throbs and the righteous yearnings of the soul, supplication based on the realization of need, of contrition and pure desire. God without our prayers would be God; but we without prayer cannot be admitted to the kingdom of God." WOW. That part hit me hard.  It reaffirmed to me the importance of prayer because we need to be counseling with God on everything.  We need his help. Prayers aren't to help God, they're to help US.  It's such a gift that we get to communicate with the supreme being of the universe.  We need to use that gift!!!  Pray with all sincerity of heart this week.  See what happens:)

Anyway, COVID-19 has increased exponentially in our mission and pretty much every Zone in our mission except mine is sick with it, so pray for our mission. Pray it won't come to Twin Falls, and if it does, pray we won't be too terribly sick. 

Love you all and I love this work!!!!  Email me! 

♡ Sister Copeland 

Pic of the Week

 

 Lunch with my comp:)

Week 19 - October 5, 2020

 This week was so amazing! 

This week I started by getting to go to the temple!!!!!  My parents came down and I got to spend the weekend with them!  It was fantastic!!!  I loved every second.  It was amazing to be able to have my parents and my district there!  I loved being able to feel the Spirit and learn of the Plan of God. I feel like a new person and I am so grateful for the experiences I had.  It was hard leaving for my mission not having gone through the temple, but it was really good to be able to do it now!  God has a plan!!

Another thing is that our district got another companionship! Elder Pitcher got Elder Phui in Swahili work (he's straight out of the MTC and was originally assigned to Tanzania), and Elder Bohn got Elder Wright for refugee work (all non-speaking Swahili refugees)!!  It's super exciting, and we are already vibing as a group!!! 

A lady we teach was even having nightmares, so the Elders gave her a beautiful blessing and she cried through the whole thing.  Her faith is so strong, and we are so excited for her! ❤

Finally, General Conference.  We are so so blessed to be able to have amazing prophets and apostles that speak to us.  We got to watch with members and friends, and it was so good.  My main take-away is that we need to be prepared.  Spiritually, temporally, and emotionally ready for the Savior and for the trials that will come soon in our lives.  Life isn't meant to be easy.  It won't be, but every trial we go through is building us up and getting us closer to God. 

I didn't have tons of time to write an email today, but I am doing super well and I love you all soooooo much!!! ❤

♡ Sister Copeland

Pictures of the Week

Me and Mapenzi!

The Elders cooking for conference