Week 52 - May 24, 2021

 Open and Honest

Hey ya'll!

I'm gonna be really honest with everyone in this email, because it deserves to be discussed, and we can learn lots of things from our trials.

This has probably been the hardest week of my mission so far.  It's not a secret that I struggle with anxiety and depression.  It's a thing I go through, and it's not new.  But, that doesn't make it easy!

I've been really struggling with my mental health recently, and it's been a very hard thing to deal with as a missionary. It's an everyday thing, and it's pretty exhausting.

BUT.

God is never far.  I've definitely seen that this week.  So, instead of dwelling on what's wrong, I want to tell you all the miracles I saw this week.

Miracle #1:  When I'm having a hard day, usually my appetite for solid foods goes away.  So, this particular day was one of those days.  I was starving, but my body didn't want food.  So, as I was driving, I said a prayer.  I asked Heavenly Father that, if he could, I would do anything for a meal replacement or protein shake to help curb my hunger. We then went to the appointment, which we weren't planning on going to, and the first thing she handed me was a protein shake.  I said a silent prayer of thanks, and drank it all, as it helped me get the "food" I needed at that time.  I am thankful for the answers that God gives to the silent prayers that we say.

Miracle #2:  I am surrounded by the best people.  It seems that every time I was really struggling, someone would text me.  Whether it was another missionary, a family member, etc., God knew that I needed words of love at those moments.  I am so thankful for the friends around me who care for me and try to lift me up every day.

Miracle #3:  Church was a hard day.  I was in the middle of translating sacrament meeting and needed a mental break. Elder Pitcher took over and I took time to really listen to the talks and not worry about how to say it in another language. After the speaker, who spoke for less time than planned, our Branch President, President Pierre, got up to speak.  He had a quick 10 seconds to decide what to speak on.  And, like a gift from God, he spoke about the Atonement.  He reminded us that we can always turn to Christ.  But, the line that I KNOW was meant for me was this:  "Christ knows you. He has FELT anxiety, He has FELT depression.  He is the perfect person to turn to because he KNOWS how it feels.". This line stuck with me. I started crying, and thanking Heavenly Father for helping him to say the words I really needed to hear.  I am thankful for those who listen to the Spirit and know how to listen to revelation they receive. 

Miracle #4:  I got to spend a lot of time at the temple this week.  We did a service project, helping with the landscape, and we were also able to bring some friends of ours to the grounds to have a lesson.  These friends said that they felt like they belonged there.  They felt God's love, and it reminded me of the love God has for me.  I am so grateful for the temple and the Spirit that I can feel there, especially because it's in my neighborhood.  It's close, and it is a safe haven from the rest of the world.

There are so many things that I could mention that were miracles this week.  But I'll end with this. 

I know that God knows you. I know that He gives us trials and struggles so he can BLESS us.  They are *straight up* blessings from God.  I can tell you without a doubt, that trials and struggles make you the person God wants you to become.  Just as Christ asked the Father if He had abandoned him while on the cross, we may feel like God isn't there, because things aren't getting better.  But listen to me.  He is there.  I had one of the darkest weeks of my mission this week, and yet, HE WAS THERE.  He was walking with me.  And so were angels, seen and unseen.  So, as President Holland says, 

"Don’t give up.  Don’t you quit.  You keep walking. You keep trying.  There is help and happiness ahead—a lot of it. Y ou keep your chin up.  It will be alright in the end.  Trust God and believe in good things to come."

So, do it.  Trust God.  I'm doing it right along with you right now.

I love you all. 

Thanks for letting me be honest:)

-Sister Copeland

Pics of the Week:

1. WE HAVE A BRANCH OFFICE!

3. Sofia is a sweetie

3. God is among us.

4. How can you not believe in God when beauty like this exists?

Week 51 - May 19, 2021

 Grandparents and a dust storm

This week was a good one! 

Starting out, we were able to have interviews with our mission president for the first time in a long time!  He's been busy and also proselyted with us last time instead of having interviews.  But, this was my last interview with President Southward because this is his last transfer!  I'm so happy he was my mission president for the first year of my mission. He's been amazing and truly is someone I will always look up to.  Interviews went well, and surprise surprise, I'm staying in my area for the 9th transfer in a row! (Only 4 more!)

Another amazing surprise this week was that my grandparents, Laura, and George, came into town!  They took me and my district out to breakfast and even got to meet some of our English class students!  It was so good to see family, and they came at the perfect time!  Love you both!

Here is some GREAT NEWS!  Shadrack is on date!  He is going to be baptized soon!  He watched a video about the temple and fell in love with it.  He is reading the Book of Mormon, and really feeling the Spirit, and he is going to get baptized!  Please pray that all works out!  He is amazing and will be a key to getting his whole family closer to God!

And with that same lesson, we realized, during the lesson, that the daughter was sick.  She said she had no taste or smell, and when someone says that in either 2020 or 2021, your mind always goes to Covid.  The people in the African community don't like to get tested for the virus, so she didn't have a positive or negative test.  But, our first fear was that we would have to go into quarantine because that's what happened last time.  BUT.  The beauty of life is that we are now vaccinated, and we didn't have to do anything except clean everything really well, and we had 0 QUARANTINE TIME.  Thank goodness!  I was not about to be stuck inside for two weeks again.  God really blessed us!

We are creating a video in Swahili of a tour of the temple grounds!  We have been filming and editing it, and we are super excited to see how it turns out!  Keep your eyes open for the vid dropping pretty soon on Facebook:)

The only problem was in the middle of filming the last few clips for the video, a dust storm decided to start.  Things were falling out of the trees, the wind was going fast, etc.  It was so crazy!  We had to go inside for the rest of the night! Luckily, we still had to do language study, so it ended up being okay!

There is a new family that came in from Uganda, and the daughter is an awesome singer!  We will be singing a duet soon, so i'll let y'all know how it goes! 

My spiritual thought for this week comes from a recent conference talk by Dieter F Uchtdorf:

"Open your hearts to our Savior and Redeemer, no matter your circumstances, trials, sufferings, or mistakes; you can know that He lives, that He loves you, and that because of Him, you will never be alone.  GOD IS AMONG US."

Something really great I heard this week was wise words from my Grandpa.  He said that we are blessed with trials, because that is a way we come closer to our Savior.  I have learned that in the hardest times, no matter what is going on, we can know that we aren't alone.  God is Among Us.  He is right there, always ready to help.  If there is anyone who is justified to help and lift you, it is Jesus Christ.  He felt it, He knows it, and He knows you. 

I'm grateful for all of you, talk to you next week!

-Sis Copeland 

Week 50 - May 13, 2021

 Pullin' like the pioneers!🔥

Sorry this email is late this week, I forgot to send it!

Hey, yall! 

Welcome to your weekly updates of the life of Sister Copeland! 

You're in for a good one! 

The best thing that happened this week is I got to go to the TEMPLE!  As a mission, we had a huge temple trip, and President Southward baptized (in the temple) every single person in the mission!  We got so much work done for the people on the other side or the veil.  Something that was said that was so cool was, "The people that you are doing work for have not had their names said out loud in over a hundred years.  Now, their names will be read once again as you help them receive salvation."  So cool!!!  It was a great day!  I've missed the temple.

Later that same day, I got my second Covid shot.  I was totally fine that day, but the next day, it knocked me out.  I slept literally most of the day!  I luckily didn't feel too much sicker after that, just super tired.  But it's totally worth it!  Get vaccinated! 

On Friday, I had the opportunity to go to MLC.  It was in Chesterfield, ID, one of the first pioneer settlements, and we pulled handcarts for a couple miles.  Not gonna lie, I was not looking forward to it... but it ended up being just fine!  We got to see lots of cool historic buildings, make some rope, and even eat good southern chili (that was just because Sister Poteet loves us).  I even had to do an impromptu musical number!  But, what's new?  There was one point where an Elder passed out, but other than that, it was great! 

We got a new arrival this week!  The cousins of some people we teach came in from Uganda!  The daughter came to church, too!  She's a singer and the family was really impressed with my Swahili, so we get along really well!  She's gonna help us lead the choir, which we are hoping to start soon!  She and that family are so great! 

And as always with missionary work, we know that there are highs and there are lows.  So, even though it was a great week, it was definitely hard. 

We sadly had to take a break from visiting Fausta and Cecelia. This is my family.  They're why I'm here.  But, they have decided that they don't find worth in the things we ask them to do.  So, we need to give them space.  Please pray for them!!!  I love them too much to see them leave something so good. 

I've had a lot of struggle with finding my worth as a missionary. I've compared myself to others quite a bit, and it's made me feel less motivated, and I have a hard time thinking highly of myself.  But, I know that through my struggles, it's the perfect time to turn to God, and use the atonement of Jesus Christ.  I may have not baptized thousands, but, I know the work I'm doing matters.  I could use some prayers to remember this!!! 

Here's a scripture I really loved this week.  It's a classic, but it's a good one to remember. 

"This is my work and my glory, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" -Moses 1:39. 

Yes, life is hard.  Yes, the covenant path is not an easy one, and yes, there are many things in our way to try and stop us. But, God's entire purpose and goal for us is to return to him.  If that's his goal for us, he is gonna help us along the way.  He will not leave us comfortless.  He loves us.  We are his children.  TRUST HIM IN THE HARD TIMES AS MUCH AS YOU TRUST HIM IN THE GOOD.

Well, that's all for this week, folks.  Hope y'all are doing well, and that as school is ending summer is bringing you relaxation and warmth!  This is when missionary work pops off.  Y'all ain't ready for the wave...🌊

With love, 

SISTER COPELAND.

 6 months y'all.  6 months. 

Week 49 - May 4, 2021

 Hekalu: litabadili maisha yako!

Man what a crazy week!  Here's the highlights! 

- Cecelia and the temple: So, now that the temple grounds are open, we have been trying really hard to get people on the grounds, so they can feel the Spirit that is there.  We had all these plans for like 10 of our friends to come, but everyone dropped out except one!  It ended up being okay because this was one of the greatest experiences on my mission so far. Cecelia came to the temple with us, and we were able to tell her about what it's for and why it's important!  She kept mentioning how beautiful it was.  We then asked her if she had received an answer about being baptized, and she said she didn't know, but she knew God would answer her.  So, we decided to pray with her on the temple grounds!  She was nervous, so I started the prayer for her, and in her own tribal language, she finished the prayer by asking God if she needed to be baptized.  By the end, she was crying.  We all were!  The Spirit was so strong, and she said she knew it was true.  Ah!  She's amazing.  We had some people who had just gotten done doing baptisms come out and they were able to bear their testimony to her.  It was such a cool experience all around. 

-Sister John and the second dose- Sister John got the second dose of her Covid vaccine!  All was good until that night when she was super sick.  But, like the good mom I am haha, I made her chicken noodle soup and helped her as she was feeling bad.  Luckily, she's a lot better now, but I get my shot this week, so pray I don't feel sick! 

- Dinner with Brother Odera- we were able to go to Brother Odera's house for dinner this week!  It was awesome and always a good time with him.  He is an awesome African cook, so we had African food!  He also is the type of person to keep filling people's plates, even when they're full... so Elder Pitcher took the brunt of it this time and ate honestly so much.  He was struggling through it by the end, but kept saying he wasn't weak, so he had to keep going, even after Brother Odera said he didn't need to.  Haha.  Luckily, the next day was fast Sunday! 

- Fausta and her craziness- Sunday morning we went over to Fausta's house to make sure she was coming to church!  We went in and she was getting ready, but not for church:(  so, we were sad but ended up leaving.  She then called 30 seconds later and said she changed her mind.  Yay! 

- Patricie and Benjamin- this week we found a new family to teach!  They have been wanting to come to church, so we went over and talked with them about the Book of Mormon and they thought it was awesome!  So fun!  We are excited for them! 

Spiritual thought: 

Wazo wa kiroho langu utakuwa katika kiswahili Leo, kwa sababu, ninahitaji kufanya mazoezi! Hivyo, ukisoma hii, wewe ni mtu wa bora:) leo nataka kushiriki andiko kutoka Mafundisho na Maagano 100: 12:

"12 Kwa hiyo, endeleeni na safari yenu na mioyo yenu ifurahi; kwani tazameni, na lo, Mimi nipo pamoja nanyi hadi mwisho."

Wiki hii ilikuwa mbaya kidogo. Hivyo, nilisoma sura hii. Niliposoma mstari huu, nilihisi faraja. Kazi za misionari ni ngumu. Lakini, yesu, atakuwa nami kupitia kwa kazi zote. Ninapenda andiko hili!

Well, I'll close!  Kinda a crazy week!  Hope y'all are doing good! 

Love, 

Sister Copeland