Week 65 - August 23, 2021

 Hey, y'all! 

This week was crazy!  But so good!

So, Musa was able to receive the Aaronic Priesthood this week!  He got interviewed, and was so excited.  Especially when he was sustained in church.  He stood up when they called his name, and had the sweetest most excited smile on his face ever.  It was so awesome.  When he got ordained, Msafiri, a man who was baptized about a year ago, was able to perform that ordination.  It was so awesome.  Musa is going to be able to do amazing things, and he will continue to bless the lives of all those around him!  What a great day.

Our friend Etienne, who we've only been teaching for a little while, texted us half way through the week that he needed to talk to us.  We set up a lesson with him, but ended up seeing him at Musa's house!  He sat down and explained how he is so happy, and he has made the decision to be baptized!  He has completely stopped drinking, and he is so excited for his baptism.  He is getting baptized on Sept. 4th!

I was able to go on an exchange with the YSA sisters, and it was honestly so fun!  We got to contact a bunch of people and go help with some service as well!  We were moving a bunch of rocks and ended up seeing a black widow spider... everyone ran away lol.  Some dude then ran up and killed it with a spike lol.  It was a really fun day!  I got to talk with Sister Holmquist and get to know her a lot better, which was so great.

One day this week, we had the opportunity to set up a refugee house!  It was super last minute, and we had to go fast, so we gathered up as many missionaries as we could to help.  We ended up having like 16 missionaries there, and we got the job DONE.  Service just brings so much joy!  We set up beds, and the kitchen, and the bathrooms, and one of the Elders really took his role seriously, and went full on interior decorator on this house.  We need to bring him every time!  Every so often, a missionary would yell, "Refugee team!" and it was so much fun.

Vestina and her family also moved this week.  We helped them move, and then the Elders Quorum President, Pres. Okleberry, dedicated their home.  It was a super spiritual experience for them!  It was awesome for them to get into their new home, and have that opportunity to really feel the Spirit together.  It also was a plus that they all came to church this week!  That hasn't happened in a longgggg time!  So fun. 

Church was awesome this week!  We had 16 PEOPLE come! It was an awesome day, and we owe all of it to God.  He really knows how to touch these people's hearts and help them act.  I feel so lucky to be a part of this branch and have an opportunity to experience the joys of African culture and see the Spirit felt in a whole new way.  I love it.

Linger-longer branch party:)

My spiritual thought for the week is about Miracles and passing time.  I listened to a devotional given by Al Carraway this week, and she explained how we may sometimes feel like we aren't getting the answer we have pleaded for.  It may cause us to question the scripture, "Ask and ye shall receive". But, what we sometimes don't realize, is that maybe sometimes, the miracle is in each step.  What if God is working in the details even more so when we aren't getting the exact answer we receive?  What if we feel his love so often that sometimes we forget what it feels like?  We need to trust that even when the exact thing we ask for doesn't happen, we are being guided by his hand.  It reminds me of the people of the Brother of Jared when they were in these barges.  First off, they had no idea where they were going.  They had no clue how long it would take.  All they had to do was "commend themselves to the Lord," and trust that it would eventually work out the best way possible.  And it does.  They made it to the Promised Land.  Maybe it took 344 days of being buried in the sea and storms, and fear, but the light was always there. His light never leaves.  So, look for the miracles that happen in the passing time.  Try to discover how each step is a miracle.  To close, I'll include this quote by Jeffery R. Holland:

"Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don’t come until heaven; but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come."

They come.

I love you all, and hope you have a great week!  Only like 10 more of these from me, so I hope they've been good for ya! 

With love,

sister copeland

Pictures of the Week:

1. God loves u, don't forget it or i'll throw this banana at you

2. Cowssss

3.  The coolest kid you'll ever meet

Week 64 - August 16, 2021

 This was a week full of stories for the journal lol.  Crazy, weird, gross, sweet, spiritual, all of it.

So here we go.

1. Cleaning crewww- So, on Thursday, we were asked to help the refugee center clean a house that some refugees had recently moved out of.  Let me tell you, this house was not the nicest.  We walked in, and were given the job of cleaning the bedrooms!  I was ready to work no matter how disgusting it was haha.  For the next hour or so, I proceeded to pick fish bones and rat feces out of the carpet.  With my hands.  So yeah.  But we got it done!!!  We then proceeded to bleach all the gross stuff off the walls and clean the bathroom for quite a while.  I swept and then mopped, and then did both again because the floor was pretty gross.  One lady helping us almost threw up because she was cleaning feces out of the carpet. lol.   

Anyway, at one point, Sister John started feeling really sick.  It was super hot in the house and there were lots of chemicals.  So, she ended up going outside to get some air and almost passing out.  Soooo I took care of her.  While I was getting her into our air conditioned car, the 88-year-old lady that lives next door came and started talking to me over the fence.  She was going OFF and was not saying the nicest things, especially about people of color.... so that was an awkward convo.  She yelled, and I tried to calm her down, but she ended up just going on and on, lol.  Anyway, eventually  I got out of the conversation and went back inside.  Just then, this lady falls.  On her way back into her house.  Long story short, the ambulance was called because she cut her leg.  I felt bad for her, but we were glad she was ok haha.  I just thought it was a funny coincidence that someone who was saying really mean things happened to fall right after that... Let's spread love not hate!

2. Apostle Andrew- so, on Saturday night, Sister John and I had the impression to visit someone who wasn't progressing super well.  We were confused, but followed the thought!  We ended up meeting the father of this family, who was visiting his kids.  He tells us how he was baptized back in 2019 and loves the church!  We told him about the Swahili Branch in SLC and he was hyped.  Anyway, it was so cool to meet him!  He talked to his family about how they needed to listen to us.  So, that was cool.  The funny part is that there was this pastor dude there.  He was like praying over the children when we arrived and singing with them.  After his prayer ritual thing, he came and said hello.  We asked him where he was from and he said, "Heaven," with the straightest face.  He then said, "and then I moved to the Congo."  Anyways, we had a gospel conversation, which was cool, cause he had a really cool analogy.  But then, he said, "You're missionaries of God. Prophecy something for me and for my life."  We were a little shook, but it gave me a chance to teach about personal revelation, so that was cool lol.  Apostle Andrew (as he calls himself), was crazy but a cool guy to talk to haha. 

3. Refugee arrival- On Thursday night, we had a refugee arrive from Sudan.  He is a funny guy.  He moved into a house behind someone who the Elders are teaching, so the address for the houses are the same.  So, we accidentally went to the wrong guy's house and kinda chilled with him, but this homie is one of the funniest people I've ever met.  He just sits there and smiles at you.  Anyway, he then told us where the right house was, and then joined us on the tour.  This guy, Gad, only speaks Swahili and the tour was in Arabic and English.  But Gad just kept on going like he knew exactly what they were talking about.  Gad would just walk around and look clueless, and randomly started pointing at things, and saying the word in English.  For example, he walked in the kitchen and said, "chicken," and then smiled really big.  Or when they were talking about the air conditioning, he said "hot," and nodded like he was dropping knowledge on us.  He is so funny.  But yeah!  Great refugee arrival.

4. Temple- We went over to Patricia's house and shared the video tour of the Rome Italy temple with them.  The Spirit was so strong as we watched and then discussed the beauty of the temple.  And then after the lesson, the little girl prayed for us, and said, "Thank you that we have temples.  Thank you that we have people that will help us be together as a family forever.  Thank you for people that come over to our house and get us closer to God."  AH, SO SWEET.  It was a really sweet lesson. (Click on the link below to see the video tour that Sister Copeland is talking about.)

Video Tour of the Rome Temple

5. Noel and the many questions- there's this guy we met this week who has lots of religious questions that are interesting. Like, "What were Moses' tablets made out of?"  Anyway, he is so cool and really loves talking and learning about the church. We are excited to see what comes out of it!

6. Swahili District is no more- we had transfers happen, and two of the zones combined.  I'm no longer an STL, which is ok, because I've got lots of time to focus on the branch now!  But also, we no longer have just a Swahili district!  Our district got combined with another one.  Which is fun, and it'll be interesting to see how it goes! 

Well, now that you've had some stories to read, here is a spiritual thought for ya:

I was reading in D&C 88 this week.  One of my favorite verses in that section is, 

"67 And if your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you; and that body which is filled with light comprehended all things.

68 Therefore, sanctify yourselves that your minds become single to God, and the days will come that you shall see him;"

One of my goals for myself is to be "filled with light."  I set this goal a few weeks ago because I saw how much light the gospel brought in my life, and how if I focus on that, I can fill myself with even more of that same light.  The thing that this scripture talks about is that we need to have our eyes be "single to the glory of God."  That means that we focus on God.  When we focus our sights on God, everything else (doubts, fears, anger, sadness, etc.) can start to melt away. Our lives won't be perfect or easy, but we receive strength from an eternal perspective.  So, if you want more light in your life, focus on God.  It really does work.

Anyway, there was my week!  I'm going hard core on my Swahili study, so expect some Swahili bars when I get home lol.

I love you all!  If you made it this far, you're a real one.  Have a good week, and reach out if you need anything. 

-sister copeland:)

Pictures of the Week:

1. The sunflowers in the canyon:)

2. A monkey and baby monkey someone drew on the board for English class haha

3. Our Swahili PPC video haha

Week 63 - August 9, 2021

Okay, y'all. 

Buckle up, hold on to your children, and get ready because this week was one of the hardest but best weeks of my entire mission. 

First off, when I say this week was a miracle, I'm not joking.

I've talked a lot about Musa in previous emails, because he is honestly probably my favorite person I've ever met.  If you haven't kept up with the whole story, here it is.  Musa and his two children, Faith and Muhindo, arrived in America about three months ago. They came to church the very first week they were here.  We taught them quite often, and they were super nice but thought we were crazy for asking them to be baptized.  One of the funniest things was that they laughed in our faces the first time we asked them to be baptized.  But with constant prayer and study of the Book of Mormon, their testimonies started to flourish.  They have continued coming to church, only missing church for the best reasons.  They have gone walking on temple grounds with their family in Utah. They studied the Book of Mormon as a family and carried it around with them everywhere.  The only problem was he felt like he needed to wait to be baptized for the rest of his family to arrive in the United States, so they could be baptized together.  We understood his wishes, even though it was hard to see someone so ready decide not to be baptized.

This is where the miracle comes in.  On Wednesday of this week, we decided to move our appointment with them to the temple instead of their home.  That, first off, was inspired.  As we left to drive to the temple, a prompting, clear as day, popped into my head.  We needed to read a very specific article from the August Liahona.  I told Sister John to pull it up and we read it as we drove.  As soon as she finished reading, the Spirit was able to tell me exactly what we needed to do.  I told my companion the revelation I received, and we went along with it.  We walked them around the temple, let them take pictures, and then sat down for our lesson.

We discussed the Second Coming of Christ and how every sign that leads to that is starting to happen.  We told him how the gathering of Israel is happening, and how important the work that we do as missionaries is. We then told him he is a part of that gathering.  We then read this:

"As the Book of Mormon teaches, “This life is the time for men to prepare to meet God” (Alma 34:32).  Are we preparing?

What if the day of His coming were tomorrow?  If we knew that we would meet the Lord tomorrow—through our death or through His coming—what would we do today?  What confessions would we make?  What practices would we discontinue?  What forgiveness would we extend?  What ordinances would we seek? What additional things would we do to fulfill our covenants?  If we could do those things then, why not now?  If our lamps of preparation are drawn down, let us start immediately to replenish them." -Dallin H. Oaks

We emphasized the words, "Why not now," and promised to Musa that if he prays and decides to be baptized now, he will be able to receive the priesthood, which is God's power.  That power can enable him to receive blessings and work miracles in his family's life. He really took it to heart and prayed harder than he ever had before.

Two days later we went over to his home.  We asked him how things were, and he said, "I need to tell you something."  He immediately told us about how he prayed, and how he talked to his wife, and he felt like baptism was the right thing to do, he just didn't know when.  He said that eventually he received an answer. He looked at us and said, "Niko tayari kubatizwa," which means, "I am ready to be baptized."  The amount of happiness that came in that moment was astounding.  He wanted to do it as soon as possible, so we picked that Sunday to do it.  We only had a day and a half to plan his baptism, but it was amazing.

His baptism day was beautiful.  He was glowing, and in his testimony after he had received the Holy Ghost, he explained this story.  

He said it in Swahili, but in English, here is what he said.  "When I was in Africa, God kept telling me that when I moved to America, there would be something that I needed there.  I thought long and hard every day about what it could be, but I never knew.  But then, when I stepped off the plane to my new home in America, I saw these 4 missionaries.  2 boys and 2 girls.  They embraced me with love, and immediately became my friends.  The girls then kept coming back and teaching me about the word of God.  I am so grateful to have learned from them and grown my testimony of the true gospel.  God knew what I needed and led me here so that I could be baptized into his church."  Doesn't that just make your heart melt??

It was an amazing day.  I know that I was sent here to teach this man and his family.  They are some of the strongest people I've ever met and have a great faith in Jesus Christ, the Book of Mormon, and Joseph Smith.  I am so lucky to have been a part of this journey for him.  Now... next up, his family.  I'm so happy for them and grateful to God for allowing me to meet them.

Other than that, the reason this week was hard was because one of my closest friends in the mission, Elder Pitcher, finished his mission and went home to Canada!  We've been in the same district for 14 months, so it was hard to see him go, and it is nerve-racking knowing that I am now the most senior Swahili missionary, and it's kinda my job to run the show a lot of the time.  Church was stressful, and honestly it'll take some adjusting, but I'm excited to see what I can do!!  It'll put my skills to the test:)

Other than that, there's not any super big news.  Just normal missionary work stuff!  But, this week was awesome and crazy, and like my subject line says, I'm ready for a nap.  But, there's no rest for God's missionaries haha.  So pray for me lol.

My spiritual thought this week is based on two words.  TRUST GOD. 

He knows you.

He knows what He's doing.

Let Him do it.

Love you all! 

-sister copeland <3

Pic of the Week:

Sister Copeland with Betina baby :)

Week 62 - August 2, 2021

 Hello y'all!

This week was awesome!  Lots and lots of lessons every day, which is always good, an exchange, and a Zone Conference with Shane Littlefield thrown in there, too!  What a crazy week! 

So, I got a chance to be a Hermana for a day!  We went on exchanges and I was with Sister Martinez, who is so funny and wild, and I love her haha.  I was reading Spanish and realized that I read everything with a Swahili accent now.  So, that's fun lol!  But apparently, the Spanish made sense to her, so that's hype lol!  Maybe I'll be a Spanish sister every so often:)

We had a Zone Conference with President Herrod and Shane Littlefield about obedience!  There have been some problems in the mission recently that have caused a need to review the rules.  So, Shane Littlefield, who is known for being super honest with missionaries, came!  It was a really great Zone Conference!  He reminded us of the power of sacrificing your time to the Lord.  It gave us a renewed fire to be the best we can be!  Some people weren't super excited about it, but I knew that those words were inspired!

There was a major rain storm this week, and the Idahoans have been praying for rain a lot this week!  And finally, there was a lot of it.  Like a lot.  We had full-on floods outside of our house.  So, the people we live with surfed and paddle boarded down this river in our backyard that was super super flooded.  It was so fun haha!  But, when the rain started, everyone came out of their houses, and they were all playing in the rain!  We met a bunch of people as we laughed and talked about how much rain there was.  People set off fireworks.  Literally.  Rain was definitely needed, and it became a community event! 

So, y'all know Musa.  We all love Musa.  His wife's name is Velina, and she is still in a refugee camp in Africa.  But, we have her contact information, and we have been teaching her over the phone.  And, this week, she has been reading the Book of Mormon a lot, and told us, "Tutabatizwa pamoja na famlia yetu!" which means we will be baptized together with our family!  It's amazing.  They are now all on the same page, and I can't wait to see them all baptized as a family!!!!  It seriously is amazing!

Shamilah is doing really well!  This is the niece of Musa.  Ever since we started teaching Musa and his family, they have been listening a lot more.  She comes to church, too!  She brings her cousins and everything!  She is super sweet!

We went to visit Patricia this week, and when we got there, she said, "We've missed you so much!"  They are so sweet! We love them.  They've all been super sick this week, so we haven't been able to see them as much, but, they are still so great!

Someone we are teaching got Covid.  She's pretty old and has been in and out of the hospital a lot recently.  So, it is really hard for her.  She is in the hospital continually on oxygen.  So, if you can, please pray for her!

For my spiritual thoughts this week, I want to share a story with you that my mission president shared at our Zone Conference! 

He talked about how coal becomes a diamond.  It is found super deep in the earth and is very rough.  But, through lots and lots of pressure, it becomes a raw, but still rough, diamond.  Then, someone else has to work with it to make it the beautiful things we picture when we say diamonds.  

This is kind of like us.  We are rough and imperfect, but, through our trials and through everything else that we go through in life that makes life hard, we grow a little bit.  We become better. But, we still can not be the beautiful diamond that God wants us to become without the touch of the Lord.  He refines us, and through his Atonement, we reach our full potential.  So, look at the trials and the repentance process as a way that God is making you into a diamond.  Because he is.

Well, that's my week!  I hope all of you are doing well, and I wish you a great week wherever you may be!

na upendo,

dada copeland

Pics of the Week 

1. Sleepy Baby Baraka

2. Liam in a bucket

6. Shadrack is so cute.