NENO LANGU! WIKI HII NI BORA ZAIDI.
Let me tell you. Being out of quarantine is a freeing feeling. Amazing.
We got out of quarantine on Thursday, and we have had a great few days!
Here's the highlights!!
☆ dumpster diving and my Gucci bag- ok. Now, don't make judgement until this story is over. On Saturday, we went to a doctor's office and helped move their furniture. They were selling the office, and they offered to give the furniture to refugees in need! So we were able to deliver tons of chairs and furniture to these people who barely have anything in their homes! We had an extra couch so even me and Sister Hyde got a couch haha. Anyway, while we were there, they had a large dumpster. It was filled with everything they don't want anymore. So naturally, one of the Elders climbed into the dumpster and started looking around. He was like, "There's straight up FINDS in here!"
So my comp jumped in. I didn't dare, but I stood on the side haha. Here's a list of the best things they found: fancy Italian sparkling water, a cork board, a toaster, a dinosaur toy, a motivational poster, ketchup bottle, mustard, vials of sterile water, pipettes, three Bibles, a shoulder rest, biohazard stickers, and my favorite.... A GUCCI PURSE. Sister Hyde at one point yelled, "Kamata" (catch) and threw a purse at me. When I caught it I noticed that it was a Gucci purse! I did a mini-fashion show showing how I was gonna pull up at mission conference next week with my Gucci bag. (I'm not actually gonna use it, but I kept it for the mems.) Haha. We also kept the biohazard stickers and they now randomly appear on missionary cars, missionary apartments, and even missionaries themselves! It's a lot of fun.
Also, don't worry. It wasn't actually a dirty trash can. Just a pile of unused office supplies. I'm not THAT desperate.
☆ auditioning for America's Got Talent? - so, in church yesterday, me and Sister Hyde sang for the Christmas program! Elder Pitcher (the master piano player) told us that his piano teacher from home wrote an original Christmas song, so we sang it in church! It was so pretty ngl. We had a lot of fun with it! But, after church a man came up to us and started talking about how he loved what we sang. He said he owns a recording studio and wants to produce an album with us! We kinda laughed and he said, "You think I'm joking." We could then tell he wasn't haha. So, one of these days we're producing an album? He also told me specifically that he has seen a lot of talent, and if I wanted, he could take me really far the in the music industry. I was blown away. He said, "If you want, I'll record your stuff and send it in to AGT, Howie is gonna love it." I kinda laughed and again he said, "You think I'm kidding," and I said that I'm kinda busy with something at the moment and pointed to my tag. He seemed adamant though. Who knows! At least maybe I can record a couple songs for posterity. Haha! I'll keep y'all updated.
☆ being Santa Claus- the members here are amazing and got together a bunch of gifts for refugees, so we spent an entire day delivering lots of clothes, food, toys, and gift cards to TONS of families. It was so fun to see the light in their eyes when we pulled up with more clothes than I've ever owned in my life. It was so good to serve. We even went over to one of their houses the next day, and she was fully decked out in the clothes we gave them. So sweet. One of my favorite moments was a lady named Vestina came up to me and yelled, "My friend! Thank you! Yay!" in broken English and jumped up and down and gave me a hug. So sweet!
☆ reaching all over the U.S.- because we speak Swahili, we've had lots of missionaries reach out to help them teach refugees in other states! It's been awesome to call in and meet lots of new refugees and help them learn the gospel in a way they understand! It's super cool to also have an impact on so many different places. Missionary work goes on everywhere!!! It can't be stopped!
Well, now for a spiritual thought! I gave a training to some other missionaries this week on prayer and faith. I'll always remember a certain lesson my mom taught me one year when I was a youth. She told me that when I have fear, I need to give my faith and will over to God 100%. When I give 100%, and it has to be 100%, fear has no more room in our hearts. I related this to prayer. Our prayers to God have power. One of my favorite things was said by Al Carraway, a speaker and writer. She said that every time she prays, she starts by asking God for help with her prayer. Through the guidance of the Spirit, she would often ask for things she didn't think she needed, but then she would be blessed with them. God often has many blessings in store for us, and we need to ask for them. But, how do we know what those are? Ask for the Spirit to guide your prayers! I've been trying to do this and it works great! It's amazing how God can open our eyes when we ask them to be opened, and we put 100% of our faith in Him. Our prayers have power and will be answered if we believe they will and they align with God's plan. So, my challenge to you is to make every prayer a spiritual experience. Don't just pray to check off a box. You are talking to GOD. The supreme creator of the universe and our Heavenly Father. Talk with sincerity and realness of heart. It's a powerful and life changing practice. And then, write down when you receive answers to prayers and act on those things. See what happens:)
Anyway, sorry for the long email this week! So much happened in the short three days I was free. Love you all and thanks for tuning in to my weekly message.
KRISMASI NJEMA!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Na upendo,
Sister Copeland ♡
Mwanga ya krismasi! 💡🎄
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