"I feel so many angels in here"
Can y'all believe you are reading my 67th email as a missionary? That's crazy. It's even crazier to think that you'll only ever read 8 more after this one. How has time gone that fast??? It's actually insane.
Well, this week was awesome! Let me tell y'all about it.
Okay, I know it's honestly been a few months since I've talked about Fausta's family, but y'all are in for a ride. So, as y'all know if you've been with me since the beginning, Fausta and her family are some of my favorite people that I honestly know I was meant to meet here in Twin Falls. I have taught them for over a year now, and I truly have a special place in my heart for them. They were supposed to get baptized in January, but never ended up doing it, and then ended up being really antagonistic for a few months. But, of course, because I love these people so much, we stayed friends and just continued to serve and love them. They ended up moving houses a few weeks ago, and we helped them with the move. A member of the branch dedicated their home, and that was where everything changed. Fausta and her siblings kind of flipped a switch after that. They've been listening to our lessons again and even coming to church! This week, we invited Fausta to come look at the temple with us! We walked the grounds, and she took pictures of all the flowers, and really loved it. We then got permission to take them into the waiting room. We walked in and Fausta changed. She looked back at us and said, "I feel so many angels here." My heart burst. Even though she only knew so much about the gospel and the temple, she knew that it was a special place where angels dwell. She left this experience different.
We then invited her to church on Sunday, but she couldn't make it. But, to our surprise, she ended up texting and asking if she could come to another service! So, we brought her to the Spanish branch, because that was the only one left of the day! We sat in that meeting, where everyone, over and over again, bore their testimony of Joseph Smith and the Restoration. After the meeting, Fausta told us that she really loved it. She said, "If the first room feels that good, I can't imagine what the rest of the building feels like," talking about the temple again. We then said, "Well, let's get you baptized and you can go in. And she said, "Yes!" We went over the baptismal interview questions, and she passed them all. So the next step is to get her an actual interview and talk to the rest of her family about it. So please please pray that this time around it goes well! We are so excited for her, and honestly it has really taught me the importance of GOD'S TIMING. Eight months ago was not her time, but maybe it is now. Ah, I'm just so happy.
We, also, were able to take Sofia to the temple, and all she keeps saying is, "It's so good that place." She's adorable in her broken English. She then talked about how she is still scared to get baptized, but she is definitely thinking about it! So please pray for her as well!
Etienne ended up not getting baptized this week, but luckily is still ready to learn and work on keeping his commitments. We are hoping that he will still be baptized this month. We just need to help him understand a little bit more! We met with him and talked about the importance of the Holy Ghost, and then he was able to see his friend, Hassani, who also got baptized this week, get the Gift of the Holy Ghost on Sunday. He really loved it. We are praying hard to have him ready for baptism at the end of September. So exciting!
Muhindo is doing super well, as well as Faith. Having their dad in the home who has the priesthood is really helping them feel the Spirit and get answers. We took Muhindo to the temple as well! (Lots of temple tours this week haha). He loved it and posted a lot of pics on Facebook haha. He asked me, "Who is next to be baptized?" and I said, "You!" lol. He laughed but little does he know, I'm not wrong haha. Love that family so much.
We visited Sofia and Mwalibola this week, and as we were talking with Sofia, the sun slowly set, until honestly we were sitting in the living room in the dark. Mwalibola then came downstairs and was like, "Why in the world are you sitting in the dark?" and turned on the lights, which were bright haha. I said "nililala lakini, naAMKA sasa!" which means, "I was sleeping but I'm AWAKE now!" and she honestly thought it was the funniest thing I've ever said. So catch being a Swahili comedian in my future.
Honestly, things have been super good, and it's super cool to see that all the fruits of my labors over the last 15 months are really starting to be seen. Even if they weren't, I'm so lucky for everything I've learned. I'm not ready to say goodbye. Luckily, I've still got eight weeks. Catch me working harder than I've ever worked.
Janvier posing with his BoM page all highlighted like a champ
For my spiritual thought this week, I'd love to talk about revelation, and how the adversary will work on us before we receive revelation, during, and even after we've made the right choice. In a BYU devotional titled, "Cast Not Away Therefore Your Confidence," Jeffery R. Holland says,
"Like Moses in his vision, there may come after the fact some competing doubts and some confusion, but they will pale when you measure them against the real thing. Remember the real thing. Remember how urgently you have needed help in earlier times and that you got it. The Red Sea will open to the honest seeker of revelation. The adversary does have power to hedge up the way, to marshal Pharaoh’s forces and dog our escape right to the water’s edge, but he can’t produce the real thing. He cannot conquer if we will it otherwise. “Exerting all [our] powers to call upon God,” the light will again come, the darkness will again retreat, the safety will again be sure. That is lesson number one about crossing the Red Sea, your Red Seas, by the spirit of revelation."
Oftentimes in our lives, we will make a decision, and it is then, that fear and the adversary kick in, trying to make us doubt the thing we already know to be true. Moses felt it when coming up to the Red Sea. He knew that what he was doing was right, but then, coming up to an uncrossable sea, fear and doubt crept into his heart. He was stuck. The decision he had once been so confident in was up in the air. But, as in all right decisions, God will prepare a way. He asked for help. He asked for assurance, and he got a sea that opened so he could walk on dry ground. As Jeffery R. Holland said, Satan "cannot conquer if we will it otherwise." Satan is always going to try and get us to doubt the decisions we make, especially when they are right, but his forces do not give us the peace that the Spirit does. Remember the feelings you had when you originally made the decision. If it was correct then, it is correct now until God himself tells you it's not. Call upon God, the light of understanding and revelation will come. Trust in him, and trust in his process and timing.
I am so very grateful again for the many experiences I've had as a missionary. I wouldn't change a single day for the world. And now I've only got 58 more. But trust me, I'm taking these 58 days, and I'm putting everything I've got into it. And whether I see the many fruits of my labor that I know are possible or not, It will have been worth it.
I love you all. Thanks for sticking by my side!
with love,
Dada Copeland
Pictures of the Week:
1. My son is really into giving hugs lately
2. Betina:)
3. Florence is the sweetest little baby
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