Well, there goes another week!
Only 9 days left as a missionary and I am soaking in every moment!
This week was awesome! I'll talk about the most important thing first! We were able to go to the Pocatello Temple Open House with the branch. We filled an entire school bus with African investigators and members alike, and the rest drove up in cars. It was a beautiful experience. I got to give the tour in Swahili and got to explain the rooms to all the people we were with. It was so much fun. I got to walk through with a little boy named Shadrack holding my hand the entire time. He pointed at every single light. No matter if they were all the same and there are 4 of them in every hallway, he pointed at them. He also pointed at every picture of Jesus. It being a temple, that was often haha. We made it through and people really really loved it. I mean how could you not! We had so many people with us including Elder Pitcher who came up to see all of us! It was a really great experience. The group picture that we took at the front of the temple is one of my favorite pictures taken on my mission.
If you had told me 18 months ago that we would have a full-on branch that would travel together to visit the temple, I would've told you you are crazy. It's pretty amazing how good God is. His hand was in the whole thing. I was just an instrument in his hands along with many others. We then ate dinner all together, and it was just so fun. Betina took a nap on me on the bus, too, haha. I got such a feeling of accomplishment and love because this is what my whole mission felt like it was leading to. I came when there was nothing, and now, we have enough Swahili speakers in our branch to fill an entire bus and go to the temple. Wow. You can't tell me God isn't real when you see stuff like this. Just wow.
We got the opportunity to go on exchanges this week, as well! Sister Ramsey came into our area with me and Sister John and it was super fun! She is a really awesome missionary that is super good at asking questions. We were able to meet with Cecelia, who we haven't seen in ages, and we talked about the experience she had a little while ago at the Twin Falls Temple, where she prayed with us and felt the Spirit so strong. We reminded her of the times she had really thought about baptism, and all the sudden, she was like, "I will get baptized, I just need to know when." So, we are going to continue to try and meet with her, to help her find out when haha.
On that same exchange, we got the chance to visit Charlotte as well! She said that she is still reading the Book of Mormon a lot, which is AWESOME. And the best part of the week was, we were sitting in church, and all the sudden, Charlotte, Johnny, and their entire family walked in even though we didn't even invite them because they had been working when we tried. She even brought two friends! It was so so cool to see her at church. She has some super fun kids that she, also, just laughed at the whole time because they were crazy haha.
Speaking of church, I had the opportunity to sing! I sang "Savior Redeemer of My Soul," and Sister Bailey played the violin. I sang it in church, and it had the whole branch in tears. I'm really glad it helped people feel the Spirit. I got to sing that same song at Zone Conference, as well! One of my favorite parts of my mission is the ability I had to share and develop my talents. I hope it's something I can continue to do!
Zone Conference was also a great time! We were able to really take apart and come to understand the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our mission president was able to explain in detail the ways that we can truly endure to the end, especially as it relates to our temple covenants. SO COOL. I'll have to draw it out for you one day if you wanna learn about it more haha. I'm gonna miss the mission leadership and the missionaries I serve around!
Mwalibola and Sofia are currently struggling, which always seems to happen the closer someone is to baptism. Mwalibola keeps changing her mind when it comes to allowing Sofia to be baptized. She says she still can one day, but she doesn't know if it'll be this weekend. Who knows! But, we are going to listen to the Spirit and do as much as we can while we figure out what the family is most comfortable with, and what God wants for them. Please pray for them!
We got to take Patricia's family to the temple with us, and if anyone wanted to go through and see the temple, it was that family. They almost didn't come, but we went over an hour before and begged haha. They ended up coming, and it was an amazing experience for them. They really loved the baptistry especially. I can't wait to see them baptized one day!
Sooo, the story about a kick to the head. One night, we were sitting in bed, getting ready for bed, when I got a phone call from one of the Elders. They said that Elder Rollene was in the hospital. We asked what happened, and they said they were playing soccer, and Elder Rollene dove to block a shot, and Muhindo went to score, and tripped over Elder Rollene and accidentally kicked him super hard in the head. With cleats on. oof. They left, thinking nothing of it, until Elder Rollene wouldn't stop throwing up. He said that the hospital told him he threw up a gallon... ew. Anyway, the Elders took him to the hospital, where they did a bunch of tests until like three in the morning, and then they all went home. Turns out, Elder Rollene has a concussion. So that was crazy! He is doing okay now, so don't worry. We all laugh about it now. He literally got kicked in the head LOL.
Other random events of the week out of context:
- Some kids had us play a card game with us, but didn't teach us the rules, and we don't speak their language, but I still ended up winning and I'm not sure how or why, but I'll take the dub.
- I taught a lesson ENTIRELY through Google translate
- someone literally handed us bread that burnt our skin lol
- our AP probably walked like a mile during his whole training. That man can PACE.
- a really tall Elder successfully got a sticky note super high up the church wall
- I got to teach someone how to use Facebook this week
- a quote I heard from a member this week: "I wanna keep sports, I can be the prophet!"
- some girl drew a dragon and gave it to us to hang up in our house
- this one kid would not stop calling me a liar
- I watched a girl swallow an entire jolly rancher, and then cough it up back into her hand.
- I tried sushi for the first time ever. It all tastes the same.
- I built a bunk bed that people say causes divorce
- we killed a brown recluse #girlpower
Well, now that all the events have been discussed. Now, time for the most important part! The spiritual thought. I read this scripture this week and feels like it perfectly sums up how I have felt about my mission.
Alma 26: 36-37
"36 Now if this is boasting, even so will I boast; for this is my life and my light, my joy and my salvation, and my redemption from everlasting wo. Yea, blessed is the name of my God, who has been mindful of this people, who are a branch of the tree of Israel, and has been lost from its body in a strange land; yea, I say, blessed be the name of my God, who has been mindful of us, wanderers in a strange land.
37 Now my brethren, we see that God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth. Now this is my joy, and my great thanksgiving; yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever. Amen."Many of these refugees are "wanderers in a strange land" who have been "lost from its body in a strange land." BUT. As I've seen in my mission through so many evidences, God "has been mindful of us," a "BRANCH of the tree of Israel." I've seen how much God loves the "least of these," and how he extends miracles to even the smallest of places. And, little old me, I feel like my mission has been "my life and my light, my joy and my salvation...and I will give thanks unto my God forever." I wouldn't trade any of my time with these beautiful people for anything. And now I've got one more week to show them how important they are to me.
Well, 74 out of 75. past and gone. But the grind don't stop till the tag comes off. I love you all.
See you for the last time next week.
With joy,
Sister Copeland <3
Picture of the Week:
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