Week 17 - October 17, 2022

 What's up, everyone!  This week was wild and one of the best ones yet!  A lot of changes and goodbyes, but that's all a part of the mission lol!

This week we had the baptisms of both Aryani and Nicholas. Aryani is the youngest child of Altair and Giovana, and she is so awesome.  She has become like our best friend, and we couldn't be happier to see her be baptized.  She had a bunch of family and friends there and had the biggest smile on her face the whole time.  

We also had the baptism of my favorite little man Nicholos!  He is the coolest little guy and always throwing a thumbs up.  We had all of his new friends in the church there to support him and welcome him as a member of the church.  The highlight of the day and maybe the week was seeing the smile on his face when I gave him his first tie!!!

This week was also the last week of the transfer, and I anticipated moving areas, so throughout the week I went around saying my goodbyes and visiting some of my favorite people out here.  Yesterday I found out I am being transferred out of Tramandai and into downtown Porto Alegre.  Saying goodbye to the people of Tramandai was tough.  Those people took me in like one of their own and have helped me every day since I got here.  They welcomed me with open arms and became like family.  I look back to when I first got to the field and went through some of the hardest weeks of my life mentally.  I remember writing in my journal that if I allow it, Tramandai will forever change my life.  Now that that chapter of the mission is over, I can say without a doubt that it did.  The things I learned and the growth I made as a person in such a short amount of time is amazing.  It's bittersweet to leave all of the people we have been working with and those who are so close to baptism, but they will be in good hands with my comp who is staying.

I will now be serving in downtown Porto Alegre in one of the most dangerous parts of the mission.  My new comp is Brazilian, and I will be also living with the assistants to our mission president who are also both Brazilian.  I've heard nothing but great things about the people and can't wait to get started.  It's definitely going to be different, but I'm excited for some change.

Thank you all for the support!  Email me if you haven't!

Elder Copeland