Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Fifty-seventh Week - August 24, 2015


Well, this week was quite a struggle...

On Tuesday, we went to lunch with Andy and his two kids, so that was super fun!

 (Andy Bingham and his two sons, along with Elder Copeland and three other Elders.  Andy is a family friend who has a home in Costa Rica and went over to Nicaragua.)

But I have only spent about four days in my area the past two weeks, so our area is pretty dead right now.  On Saturday we had two more baptisms, Laura and Aura who are twins.

 
Basically their whole family are members besides the mom.  So everything was all well, but the dad came down Sunday morning from Sandino like four hours away to come and confirm his daughters, but the mom didn't like that and went crazy and wouldn't let her daughters get confirmed.... So, I baptized them both, but they didn't get confirmed.. so sad... who knows if they will end up getting confirmed?  So sad to see how incomplete families are here.  There are always problems.  I am so grateful to have a solid family.  We really are extremely blessed beyond description. 

Also, the district is kinda struggling.  We started the month out super good, but things just smoothed out quite a bit, so I gotta step it up and get things rolling again. 

Kevin, the kid that got baptized last week, got the priesthood on Sunday.  That was awesome!

I can't believe Parker is already out on his mission... So proud of him for his decision to serve the Lord and the people of freaking Philly (home of the Testigos de Jehova...) I love that kid to death and know he will make a difference!

Yesterday, I completed 13 months.  That's super weird...
I don't really have much more to say this week.

This week go out of YOUR way and serve someone!  The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.

Elder Nelson of the Twelve is coming on Friday, so that'll be sweet!!!

Have a great week,
Go COUGS

Elder Copeland

Thursday, August 20, 2015

Fifty-sixth Week - August 17, 2015


Well... there goes another week! 

It was an insane week, super stressful.  I only worked in my area twice the whole week.  We went out to visit all the possibilities for the district and to do interviews and stuff, 
 
 (Elder Copeland and his companion are District Leaders in this district.)

As a district we had six baptisms on Saturday, which was awesome, and we got three in my area! Nathalia, she's super awesome and will be a great convert; Kevin, he's super cool; his sister is Hazzel that got baptized like three weeks ago.  It'll be tough to keep them active cause his mom and uncle aren't the best examples at home; and Reyli, his family is super inactive, but he's awesome.  




On Sunday, we were at Kevin's house waiting for him to get ready for his confirmation, and it came to 9 am when we were leaving his house and he lives like 1.5 miles from church, so we hurried and got a taxi and dropped Kevin and Nathalia off at the church so they could get confirmed.  As I walked in the chapel, Reyli was sitting there all by himself!  He went by himself!  That's a straight miracle here in Nicaragua!!!  So thank goodness they were all confirmed.  I never thought the mission would be so stressful.  Pero vale la pena!


Also, I can't believe it was Dad's birthday this past week again.  I was in the MTC for his bday last year, and it already happened again, crazy.  Hope you had a good day.  You're salvaje!!!

One thing I learned and gained an appreciation for this week was the support from my family.  Here, people's families don't support each other at all.  It's so sad to see.


One thing more.  I saw a dicho this week in an artice, "LIFE IS HARD, THE GOSPEL ISN'T." Think about that this week.  LIFE IS HARD, THE GOSPEL ISN'T.

 
Have a good week and enjoy school.


Elder Copeland
 
 (Elder Copeland sent a picture of his closet.  One thing hasn't changed on his mission which is so good--he loves organization and keeping his room and belongings tidy.)

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Fifty-fifth Week - August 10, 2015


Well, I am still down here in Rivas!

I'm not companions with Elder Jensen anymore.  We split Rivas into two districts, so now he's the other DL, but we still live in the same house and stuff.  He's awesome!  So my new district has eight missionaries, me and my companion and six sister missionaries.  My new companion is Elder Redd from Oklahoma.  He has five months in the mission.  

One of the greatest lessons I am learning on my mission is charity.  I am just now recognizing that charity is something incredible.  It really is the pure love of Christ and is something essential. 

I can't believe that I am starting my fourth change here in Rivas.  I'm sure it will be my last time here in Rivas, but I will end up with six months here.  It's insane how fast time is going... 

This week we should have three baptisms, Kevin (he's 17 and he's the brother of the girl we baptized two weeks ago); Nathalia (she's 15 and is super awesome.  She's reading the Book of Mormon like crazy.  She's super smart and speaks English, also); and Reyli (he's 10 and his family is super, less active, and he just hasn't ever been baptized).  So the work here is going well.  We have some really positive people, but I have touched every door here, so it's starting to get a little tough to find some new people.  Just gotta stay positive. 

I can't believe Parker already gave his farewell talk.  I feel like I just barely gave mine... 
 (Elder Copeland's cousin and one of his best friends, Elder Wilde, who was called to the Pennsylvania Philadelphia English Speaking Mission.  He will enter the Missionary Training Center on August 19th, 2015.  Elder Copeland's older brother, Taylor, happened to serve in this exact mission a few years ago, except he was Spanish Speaking.)

Well, I don't have anything else to say this week.  Good luck in school next week hahahahahahah!!  Oh, one of the Apostles is coming to our mission on the 29th, so that will be sweet.  But, I'm sorry but I ran out of stuff to say.  Have a good week and enjoy the last week of summer.


Elder Copahland (that's how all Nicas pronounce my name).

Monday, August 3, 2015

Fifty-fourth Week - August 3, 2015


Cant believe it's already August...

We had a good week!  It has been brutally hot lately!  It's insane!  I don't know how these Nicas do it...?

We did a bunch of baptismal interviews, helped out other companionships, and did the normal mission stuff.  
  ( The bus ride from Jintotepe to Rivas.  Twenty-four people smashed into this little bus and it's like a 1 hr and 15 min bus ride.  One word, miserable...)

On Thursday, we were walking through the forest on a little dirt road and came upon a tiny little shack, so we contacted the lady.  
 
She's a single mom with three kids.  A boy that's six and twin girls that are four.  

We just taught her a quick lesson, and then told her we would come back on Saturday.  So we passed by on Saturday and helped her get the water out of the well.  
 


 



 

Then we macheted all the weeds in her yard.  



This lady might be one of the most humble ladies I have ever met in my life.  She literally doesn't have anything, and she still fed us some gallo pinto (a Nica dish made of rice and beans).  But too bad, she lives super far away from the church and in the forest so its super hard for her to go to church.  We will see what happens, pray for her:   Maria Oneda. 
We have another investigator named Nathalia who's 15.  Her brother that's 20 got baptized in February but hasn't come back to church since his confirmation... But Nathalia is super cool.  She has her answer and not only reads her Book of Mormon but marks all her favorite versiculos!  She will get baptized on the 15th. 
 
We have some other good people but nothing giant has happened with them yet to write about them.  But I'm doing well, the district is doing well, also.  So at the moment, it's all good other than it's blistering hot!

So one thing for this week, be happy and grateful for what you have and serve others.  It's much better to give than to receive.  That's one thing I have learned on my mission.  I love serving people now in all aspects, from doing something small like getting water out of a well to baptizing someone.  Doing service makes you happy every time.  Because we have been given much we too must give.  Mosiah 2:17 is a great scripture also about service. And Luke 12:48 where much is given, much is required.  Remember that. 

I always read conference talks.  One that I read this week is called, "You matter to Him," by Pres. Uchtdorf.  Kinda pounds us, but it's great.  The Lord uses a scale very different from the world's to weigh the worth of a soul.  "Always retain in remembrance the greatness of God and your own nothingness" -Mosiah 4:11.  But He says, "The worth of souls is great in the sight of God" -Doctrine and Covenants 18:10

One thing he said that I love is, "COMPARED TO GOD, MAN IS NOTHING; YET WE ARE EVERYTHING TO GOD."
What matters to Him is that we do our best that we can, that our hearts are inclined toward Him, and that we are willing to help those around us.  If we do the best we can, all will be well.
1) God loves the humble and meek, for they are greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

2) The Lord entrusts the fulness of his gospel to be proclaimed by the weak and the simple unto the ends of the world.  He has chosen the weak things of the world to come forth and break down the mighty and strong ones and to put to shame the things which are mighty.

3) No matter your calling, you're not invisible to your Heavenly Father, He loves you.

4) What you see and experience now is not what "forever" will be.  He will neither forget nor forsake those who incline their hearts to Him.

Learn to love your Heavenly Father and become His disciple in word and deed.
"Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." -1 Cor. 2:9

May we ever believe, trust, and align our lives so that we will understand our true eternal worth and potential.
YOU MATTER TO HIM.

Hope you all have a good week, serve someone.

Love, Elder Copeland