What's up, everyone! I hope you are all doing well! A lot of progress was made this week, and I couldn't be more grateful for the experiences I'm having out here.
The start of the week was awesome. We had our first in-person lesson with Rosa and taught the Plan of Salvation and explained the commandments. We focused on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that allows each and every one of us to repent and be forgiven of our sins. We made it a point to explain that oftentimes repentance is looked at as a shameful experience when in reality it should be nothing of that. None of us are perfect and repentance is a way for us to show our gratitude for his sacrifice. We confirmed her date for baptism and fast forward to this Sunday, I had the opportunity to do the ordinance for my first baptism! The Spirit was very strong throughout the entire service and we had a lot of members there to support! After the baptism, Rosa said something to me and my comp that I will remember for the rest of my time here. She said, "Vocês são meus anjos." (You guys are my angels.) Seeing the peace and joy she felt in her life after being baptized was very surreal. It's moments like these that make you forget about all the bad. The everyday sacrifice is worth it when you have chances like this. The worth of souls is great, and I'm grateful to be doing my part in the Lord's work.
Another amazing story! As many of you know, my dad served a mission in the same state as I am currently serving in. During the week, my comp and I got a voice recording from two Elders in a different area of our mission. They explained that they were eating lunch with a member and that he asked if I was here serving a mission and what part. The guy explained that my dad had baptized him 24 years ago and till this day still remembers him and is thankful for what he did. Amazing full circle moment. Because of what Dad did 24 years ago, this guy's life completely changed and he now has missionaries in the home. This is exactly why I'm here. To have opportunities like this to teach the gospel to those that want it and help people understand God's plan for us.
Elder Copeland's dad who baptized this wonderful Brazilian 24 years ago as a young missionary.
The member 24 years later who remembered Elder Copeland's dad and hopes to meet Elder Copeland someday when he serves in that area.
My comp and I have been working very hard with the members here and trying to push the message of missionary work. We've had multiple activities and shared multiple messages about the importance of sharing the gospel with the people we love most and inviting whenever we can.
This week was the first time we have seen results from our efforts. We have started to receive references from members and set up lessons for this week, which is so awesome. Having the support from members and their testimonies had a powerful impact on conversion, so we are very grateful for them.
The language is really starting to come along which makes everything easier. My hard work is starting to pay off and I can tell that during lessons when I have the Spirit with me, I can say exactly what I want and teach the person instead of the lesson!
I focused a lot this week on trying to understand why some people decide to leave the church. It's not easy trying to step into someone else's shoes, but what I realized in every situation is that the reason for leaving often has nothing to do with the simple truths we know to be true. We know that Jesus Christ established his true church on the earth today and, through the power of the priesthood, called prophets to lead and guide. We know that he sacrificed his life for all mankind and that he was resurrected. We know that he has a plan of happiness and that through him we can return to the presence of God and live with our families forever. The gospel of Jesus Christ is perfect, the people leading it are not. The doctrine of Christ has never been changed and it's important to only focus on the things we know to be true. Doubt your doubts before you doubt your truths. If it doesn't contradict the opportunity we have to return the presence of God, we shouldn't worry. Believe in the plan and trust it.
I love being out here and serving a mission. These experiences are changing my life and I'm grateful for it. Thank you all for the emails! Email me if you haven't!
Love, Elder Copeland
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