Week 57 - June 28, 2021

UBATIZO NA NYOTA.   IT WAS A GREAT WEEK THIS WEEK! 

First off...

BENJAMIN GOT BAPTIZED!  It was a fantastic day!  We started taking pictures and he was like, "I WANNA GO TO THE TEMPLE AND TAKE PICTURES!"  So we said, "Of course!" He was so sweet and went running to the temple with his family!  He was so so excited to get baptized!  

It was a very sweet day, and the next day was also awesome because he got confirmed in church and tons of the other people we are teaching were able to see it, and it was really good for them! We are super excited about what's going on in this area.

Another awesome thing that happened this week was a bunch of other families decided that they are almost ready for baptism!:

- Patricia and her family basically asked us to be baptized! She and her kids also saw Benjamin get the Holy Ghost and she asked when it was her turn!  Their family is so sweet and has been so faithful ever since we met them!  She has asked us to teach her, asked us if she could come to church, and also asked us to be baptized!  She is so dedicated and wants to be closer to God!

- Musa and his family also said they want to be baptized!  The only thing holding them back right now is they still have family back in Africa, and they want to wait for them to get here so they can all do it together!  He is very centered on his family, but we have no idea how long it will be until they get here, so prayers would be appreciated!  His favorite thing in the world is the Book of Mormon, and he drops everything when we come over so that he can listen to our lessons.  He is such an amazing person, and I know that he is one of the people that I'm supposed to meet here.

-Charlotte flipped a switch this week and has been reading the Book of Mormon everyday!  She is getting super serious about baptism, and is super excited to keep learning more! Pray that she will be able to learn that she is ready!

Also, something else that was crazy this week was that we found out that one of the people was baptized three years ago and forgot.  Don't tell me how we didn't know he was already baptized, but we are gonna help him come back to church!  He is also the boyfriend of Charlotte and the brother of Patricia, so it's crazy that they now all have this member connection!  It's awesome how the Lord works!

During church, I was conducting the music as well as stopping a child from playing the piano behind me.  I am a fantastic multi-tasker.  You should have seen it.  I then pressed down on the piano so she couldn't open it.  She walked away after the song and I was glad she stopped trying... until the organ started blaring in the middle of someone's talk that I was supposed to be translating.  What a blast being in this branch is!  There's never a dull moment.

We also did a finding competition/R&R with our district this week.  That morning, we had set a goal as a Zone to find 21 people altogether, and then our district decided we should try and find that many as just the two companionships of our district.  We didn't even have a full day, but as a district, we found 24 people.  God honestly led me and Sister John to exactly where we needed to be that day, and it was AWESOME.  This really is his work.

Transfers were this week, and there is no surprise there that I'm staying lol.  But, we have a new Mission President!  I will get to meet him this week, which is super exciting!  He already seems amazing, and it will be an amazing next four months with him!

My spiritual thought for this week is about stars.  Yep, you heard me.  Stars.  Last night, me and Sister John decided to just sit outside and watch the sunset (which turned into stars) for like 2.5 hours.  It really got me thinking about why we have stars.  We don't need them for our survival.  They aren't gonna make or break our entire lives here on earth.  But, they are beautiful.  They are evidence of more that is out there.  That we aren't alone.  I think that God put them there so that we could be reminded of all the places he has touched and made beautiful when he created this world for us.  He reminds us that he's right there.  Even though the world is big, and we are small, his infinite love reaches everyone on earth, AND beyond.  And he created things as distant and as crazy as stars, just so that we could be reminded that he knows and cares about us, and while the world is crazy, we can look up and be reminded that we aren't alone.  So.  Next time you feel insignificant, go look at the stars. 

I love you all so much, and can't believe the time is flying by so fast.  I know God loves all of you, and I do too!

Sending all of you my love,

Sister Copeland

Pics of the Week:

1.  This kid is my son.

2.  The Elders ran out of gas.  So, yeah.

Week 56 - June 21, 2021

 I wrote a script for us.  Please read along.

Me: Jambo!

You: Jambo Sana!

Me: Habari?

You: Mzuri! Habari?

Me: MZURI KABISA, NITAKUAMBIA KWA NINI.

Me (continued): 

This week was great!  We had lots of fun with the people we teach and we put in the WORK.  I will say that I am realizing that my time is on the downfall, I really wanna make these last few months count.  Ya know?  Not that I wasn't working hard before, but we are putting it into turbo mode for the next few months so that I can truly leave my legacy in the area that I will have been in my whole mission. 

So with that, here are the highlights.

1. Musa. the coolest guy in Twin Falls.  I stand by that statement.  So, as you all will remember, Musa is the man that we met at the airport when he entered the country, he has two children, and they haven't missed a week of the church since they've been in the U.S., so with that, I have another update.  First, he is still the coolest guy in Twin Falls. Second, he attended a baptism with us this week!  We brought him to watch a lady in the stake get baptized, and he loved it.  He couldn't understand the talks because they were in English, but we explained it to him the next day and he loved it.  His question to us at the lesson we had was, "What do I need to do to be baptized?" which was followed up by, "I am patiently waiting for my turn to be baptized." UMMM HYPE?  He has progressed so much in so little time and even wants to connect his friends at home with the missionaries in Africa.  This is a worldwide church, baby.  So, we are super excited for him.  He is beginning to understand and really loves the church a lot.  It makes me super happy because it's helping me realize that I do have the skills to help people come closer to God because sometimes it's hard to see in an area like this.  I will remember this homie forever.

2. Benjamin!  Benjamin is this super cute kid that is a part of a family who has already been baptized (they joined the church in Africa), but he never got baptized!  So, working with the branch presidency, we were able to teach him, and his baptism is planned for this Saturday!  We are excited to see how it goes!  Pray that all continues well!  He is super cute and really loves to say the prayer at the end of our lessons.  We love him! 

3. We had dinner with President Pierre, who is our branch president.  We went on Sunday, which (duh) was church!  I translated for a talk that was given by a High Councilman.  I honestly have never been more confident in a translation of a talk before.  I was going at (it felt like) light speed, and I wasn't really stumbling, which was so good.  But then, even bigger news, PRESIDENT PIERRE TOLD ME THAT HE PLANS ON CALLING CHURCH HEADQUARTERS TO TELL THEM I NEED TO TRANSLATE GENERAL CONFERENCE ASAP, AND I MIGHT GET TO RECORD SOME OF THE TEMPLE VIDEOS!  So basically, I got super excited.  So. yeah.  Catch me translating the General Conference at some point soon... :)

4. At church this week, Mwaibola was able to say the prayer in Sacrament Meeting, and she LOVED IT.  She came up to me after church and said that she wants to say the prayer every week.  Opening, closing, you name it.  She also drove herself(?) to church this week.  I didn't think she knew how to drive, but we don't ask questions. 

 

5. WORLD REFUGEE DAY!  This week was World Refugee Day!  Because of that, there was a big party!  And with big parties, there comes dance performances.  And with dance performances, comes the invitation for us to dance with them.  So, as you can clearly tell, we danced two dances. 

There were a LOT more people than our previous African party.  And I actually have the video for this one.  So, if you want it, let me know.  lol. 

Also, quick shoutout to my dad!  Happy Fathers day to one of my best friends.  Love you long time, Dad! 

And while I love my earthly father, I also have a Heavenly Father.  So here's what I know about Him.

I want to bear my testimony on the reality of a plan.  I've learned through many instances that God's plan is perfect. We have a lot of plans in our own minds of what's supposed to happen, but God's plan is so much more intricate and specific than we realize.  We are supposed to experience bad times.  We are supposed to experience the good times. 

There's so much more to our lives and our progression than I think we can even begin to realize.  As we live according to God's commandments, things will go as planned.  The good and the bad.  I also want to tell you:  There are no coincidences.  I've seen this so many times as a missionary, and  I know that there is a reason for all of the things I go through.  I'm learning, the people I'm teaching are learning, and it's amazing.  If you ever wonder why your life is the way that it is at the moment, ask God.  And if it's not the way that it's supposed to be, ask God what you can do to get back in sync with HIS plan.  I just really love God and I just really love all the things I've learned about Him as a missionary. I'm gonna take all these things and apply them for the rest of my life.  I love my mission y'all.  If you can't tell.

Anyway, thanks for tuning in.

You: You're welcome dude.  Thanks for writing an email.

Me: You're welcome dude.  Have a good one!  See ya next week.

<3, Sister Copeland

Pics of the Week:

1. Musa, Fabien, Msafiri, and Brother Okelberry after the baptism teaching each other!  I don't even have to do anything at this point!

2. Saying goodbye to Helen who is moving to Texas:(

Week 55 - June 15, 2012

 What a great week this was!  It was honestly super busy!

We were able to have a mission conference with our mission president!  President Southward and Sister Southward finish their mission this transfer, so we had an all-mission conference, where we had the whole mission, and a bunch of RM's come back for a recap of the last 3 years.  

We were able to see a bunch of performances, as a bunch of the missionaries are super talented!  There were some dances, including a bunch of Polynesian dances, a fire dancer, and some other dancers.  

President and Sister Southward will be missed

We also performed, "I Know He Lives," which was kind of the mission anthem during quarantine last year.  We didn't get time to practice with all 15 missionaries that did it, so it was a little hectic but fun.  We then got to listen to Alex Boye speak, and we were a part of his movie!  He filmed some scenes with us, which was fun!  He spoke about knowing who you are and not being afraid to help people see who you are.  He talked about the light that we can bring to people, and how it can change others.  It was so cool to hear him speak!  He is very enthusiastic and it was great!

We, also, got to go to the temple as a branch this week!  Some youth had been baptized this past year or so, so we got to take them to the temple!  We got to watch Msafiri baptize people, as well as Vincent.  The funniest moment of the night was Msafiri baptizing Bikeyombe.  Bikeyombe is pretty scared of water, and Msafiri didn't have much experience baptizing people, so it was kind of crazy.  Msafiri would start to put him underwater, and Bikeyombe would fight against it with everything he had, which meant he didn't get under, which meant he had to do it again, and again, and again haha.  He would still smile huge through the whole thing though. Eventually, Msafiri just started to let go and shove him underneath the water. It was quite the sight, but both had a great experience.  It was so sweet to see our little branch together in the temple for the first time.

We, also, did a lot of finding this week, and I discovered something about myself.  I have been around pretty much exclusively African people for the past year, so now I am pretty scared of white people haha.  I just can't talk to them the same way I can talk to the Africans, so I get wayyyy nervous.  So, when we passed people on the street, Sister John would start conversations with all of the white people, and I would run-up to and talk to literally everyone else haha.  Sister John said with both of us combined, we can talk to anyone!  It was a really fun time, and we actually found quite a few people this week!

Our lesson with Musa was really good this week.  He is probably one of my favorite people ever.  He sat down with us, we had a lesson, and then he said he had a question.  So, I told him to go ahead!  He then said, in "dini yenu", which means your faith, but then immediately corrected himself and said "dini yetu," which means OUR faith.  So cool!  He is recognizing himself as a member already!  He is in a very good spot and I am super excited to see him progress!  He continued with his question, which was basically, what can I do and not do?  We talked about the commandments a little bit, and when we got to the Word of Wisdom, he happily agreed with everything we said but was super surprised about the tea one.  I realized that he was surprised because the only tea they drink in Africa is herbal tea, so it isn't a problem.  We helped explain and he understands a lot more now.  He is super duper awesome and so is his family.

We also had Zone Conference this week!  We had President and Sister Southward take us to a trampoline park lol, and then we had some trainings.  I was able to give a training with the ZL's on the power and authority of the calling we have as missionaries.  We talked about how we have been trusted with the responsibility of teaching God's children his truth and spreading light to those around us.  We were only given this opportunity for a short amount of time, so we need to give our all.  We showed a video of a football player who thought he could only do this exercise for 20 meters.  But, when he decided to give it his all and had people cheering him on, he made it across the whole field.  He was able to do so much more than he thought he could.  Sometimes as missionaries, we may feel like we are not capable of what God asks us to do, but with a coach like Christ, we can do so much more than we think we can.  He makes us better!

There was a new arrival this week, a lady from the Congo.  She was all by herself and felt very overwhelmed, but we were able to meet her at the airport, and hopefully, we will get to see her very soon.  We met her mentor, Bianca, who is super cool, and we will get to work together to help her feel like this is home!

There is a boy named Benjamin, who is the son of a member, who didn't want to get baptized when he was 8, but now, he is saying he wants to!  So, we got him on date for the end of June, and we are gonna help him get ready!  It's gonna be so awesome! 

ALSO, 10 PEOPLE CAME TO CHURCH THIS WEEK AND IT WAS SO HYPE.

Anyway, I'm sure there was more that happened this week, but I honestly can't remember.  But, here is a spiritual thought for you!

Alex Boye talked about something that he calls GODFIDENCE.  It is being confident in who you are because you look at yourself at how God sees you.  He told us all to close our eyes.  He then said to think in our minds a rating for ourselves on a scale of 1-10.  We didn't say them out loud, but we all thought of how we view ourselves.  He then said that we are lying to ourselves if we gave ourselves anything lower than a 10.  We are KINGS AND QUEENS.  Children of God that make him feel joy.  God looks at us, and through all of our flaws, sees a 10.  He knows our worth, and so we should know it too.  Don't let anyone else tell you that you are less worthy than what God sees you as.  Know who you are, and don't be afraid to show it to the world!

Well, it was a fantastic week.  I had so much fun, and though I'm exhausted, the grind feels good.  It feels good to put your all into something every day, even when you don't see the results. 

Thanks for tuning into another week, 

See you all next time,

Sister Copeland <3 

Pics of the Week:

My favorite kid ever

The cutest little acai bowl shop

Week 54 - June 7, 2021

NILIPANDA MLIMA.

 Hey, guys! 

This week was crazy!  But things are going really well!  We've had a lot of progress with some people this week.  I, also, was able to go to MLC with President Southward for his last MLC before he goes home and we get a new mission president!

 Our District

Here's all the updates on the people I get to teach!

1. There was a new family that came into America recently! They've been here about a month.  They've been able to come to church every week, and they love it!   We told them that if they want to know if this church is true, they can read the Book of Mormon to know!  The dad then told me that he already knows that the Book of Mormon is true!  He carries it around with him everywhere.  We are super excited for them.  My favorite quote from a lesson with him this week was, "POMBE SI RAFIKI YANGU," which means, alcohol is not my friend!

2. Shadrack called us last Monday after he came to church and told us that he doesn't want to wait any longer to be baptized!  He wants to be baptized ASAP!  So, we were able to connect him with some Elders in Boise and they are gonna help him to get baptized before he possibly moves here to our branch!  It's sad we won't get to be there, but I'm so excited for him. 

3. Amuza is a kid who we've been able to teach!  He is Beatrice's son.  He hasn't ever really been interested, but he all of a sudden is doing really well!  He is excited to be able to read the Book of Mormon!  He knows that there are lots of answers to questions that you can find in the Book of Mormon. He is awesome! 

It has been a really good week, that was just the highlights! 

Another super fun thing I did this week was I got to go to Sun Valley for a leadership retreat!  We had a meeting the first night, and then we stayed in cabins with the STL's and the ZL's.  It was super fun to be in the mountains!  The next day we went hiking to "Pioneer Cabin," which is a cabin that is near the summit of this mountain in Sun Valley.  The only thing we were told is that it was 8 miles and it was going to be difficult.  And boy was it difficult.  We hiked for 6 hours.  It was so hard, and so steep lol, but, making it to the top was so worth it!  The views were beautiful!  It was super fun, but I can definitely say that I am veryyy sore.  But it was so worth it!

My spiritual thought for the week comes from Mormon 5:23.  In that verse, it starts with a question:  "Know ye not that ye are in the hands of God?"  And this is a question that I like to think about a lot.  It really goes back to the idea of faith.  Do we have faith that God's got us?  There is also a scripture in 3 Nephi 13:30-31.  It says, "Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?  For your Heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things."  I love this verse along with the first verse.  They really show us that we need to have faith that GOD'S PLAN IS THE RIGHT PLAN.  Have faith that he is carrying you through the hard times.  I can testify to you that God is walking along with you, and Jesus Christ knows you and your pains.  Know ye not that ye are in the hands of God? Cause you are.

Well, it was a crazy good week.  I am feeling so much better, and I have grown so much these past few weeks.  Thanks to all the friends and family that reached out to me with kind words.  You all are amazing and I felt your prayers!!!  Keep being amazing!

na upendo kutoka Idaho,

Sister Copeland 💙

Pic of the Week:

Baby Baraka:)

Week 53 - May 31, 2021

 Squirt by Squirt

VIPI.

Thanks for tuning in to my weekly email this week!  If you all remember my email from last week, I am happy to inform you that I am getting better everyday!  My companion made a joke that we can't get better all at once, but we have to go "squirt by squirt" just like a sprinkler.  It was funny at the moment lol.

This week was good!  Like I said, I'm improving every day. 

ALSO!  I HIT MY YEAR MARK THIS WEEK!  I can't believe I've been a missionary for one whole year! It feels like I have been here for such a short time, but time is slowly ticking down.  I only have like 5 months left now!  It's insane... Before you know it, I'm gonna be home!  Crazy! 

Here are some super fun highlights from this week!

1. Shadrack!  I don't know if y'all remember from a few weeks ago, but Shadrack was a man that lives in Boise, but comes here on the weekends.  So, because he speaks Swahili, we have been teaching him on weekends.  He said a few weeks ago that he wants to be baptized!  We are so excited for him! The only problem is he is planning on moving, and he wants to make sure he is getting baptized where he will be living.  We are hoping that he moves here to Twin Falls!  But, he came to church for the first time this week, and he said he wants to keep coming back every week!

2. Faith, Musa, Sengenya:  This family is the new family that came into the country just a few weeks ago.  They have a relative in Utah who is a returned missionary, so he took them to Utah this weekend!  We were sitting at home one night, and all the sudden we got a message from our friends that was a picture of all of them at the temple as a family!  It was so amazing to see their family all together! 

3. Amuza:  This is Beatrice's son and Esther's older brother.  It was super hard to help him understand what we would say, and he was very cold to us for a while.  But, one day, we said that his questions were good, and they could easily be answered by the Book of Mormon.  Although we have said this many times before, he listened and read this time.  The next time we went over he was excited because he said that his questions were all answered and he wants more things for him to read!  Super exciting!

I honestly can't think of tons more this week, but here is a spiritual thought that I've been thinking a lot about.

I have studied and thought a lot about what to do when doubts come to us.  Because, no matter how strong your testimony is, there will always be attacks from the adversary that try to get you to doubt your faith.  They come daily, especially to those Satan wants to take down the most.  But, there is something beautiful about truth.  And that is that it is unchanging.  If something was true 3 years ago, or 2 weeks ago, or even 100 years ago, it is true now.  TRUTH NEVER CHANGES.  It is eternal.  So, when doubts come, and they will, no matter who you are, don't doubt the things you have once known to be true.  When you hear something, or learn something that makes you doubt what you know to be true, don't freak out, because our entire lives are going to be spent deciding whether or not we believe something is true or not.  BUT. When those doubts come, don't let it disregard that truth that you already know.  Hold on to those things, no matter how small or big they are, and let the rest work itself out.  I know for me, if there is ever any doubt that comes into my mind, I remember how the Book of Mormon changed me.  I remember how it felt to read it all the way through the first time, or how I felt that UNDENIABLE feeling when I was reading 2 Nephi.  I hold on to those things, and nothing else matters.  Because yes, there will always be a lot of doubts in the world, but there are also many many undeniable truths.  If it was once true, it is still true now.  This is one of my favorite quotes of all time from the end of Joseph Smith History, when Oliver Cowdery describes his experience with the priesthood being restored:

"His love enkindled upon our souls, and we were wrapped in the vision of the Almighty!  Where was room for doubt? Nowhere; uncertainty had fled, doubt had sunk no more to rise, while fiction and deception had fled forever!"

He learned truth for himself, and it was manifested that it was truth through God's love and the spirit, and he had no more room for doubt.  Maybe he doubted other things later, but he always held on to what he knew to be true.  I invite you all to do the same.  When uncertainty comes, remember a time when things WERE certain, and remember, truth is eternal.

Well, that was sort of a long email!  But, I hope you enjoyed reading a little from the life of Sister Copeland.

I love you all and have a fantastic week! 

-Sis Copeland!

Also, if you feel so inclined, I LOVE MAIL.  Here's the addy:

1379 Stoneybrook Cir

Twin Falls, ID 83301

Pic of the Week

1. Elder Pitcher taking a quick snooze