I've officially hit the 7-month mark. I hope everyone is doing well! This week was another grand with not a lot to show. I'm working harder than I ever have in my mission and yet it's a fight to get anything going.
We had most people we were teaching basically tell us to stop texting them and the others just stopped responding, so we decided to start over from scratch. We found multiple new people this week and what seemed like a step forward in the work was halted when no one came to church. It's pretty frustrating when an entire week rides on one day and whether or not you can get people to come. For us missionaries, it makes so much sense and the blessings we are able to promise seem like no brainers but yet no one will accept them or give it a real shot. The hardest part is to understand what it's like in their shoes and to trust the process.
One of our friends here in the ward is a big time gaúcho singer. A gaúcho is a Brazilian cowboy and their music is the equivalent to country. We went over for lunch on Sunday, and he put on a show lol. He made it a goal of his to show us what seemed like every song he has ever produced as well as some unreleased stuff. I had a good talk with him about having my feature on his next album. I broke it down for him and let him know that together we could reach a whole new audience and take over southern Brazil. He tried to let me down easy because in his eyes it's not gonna happen, but deep down I know that me and him together would sell.
This whole thing is a process and I'm not gonna stop doing my part. I just want so badly to help people that need it and to help people find a new beginning. This whole mission thing isn't a joke lol. However, what it teaches you is to just keep going. When life is hard, just keep going. When you feel lost and alone, just keep going because at the end of the day there isn't a single thing that Jesus Christ hasn't already felt, and he was willing to sacrifice his life for us so we didn't have to pass through tough times in the same intensity. Just keep going and continue to do the right things and things will get better. At times it's a slow, long, beat-down of a process, but it will get better. There is light somewhere at the end of the tunnel. I invite each one of you guys this week to sit down and really think of who Jesus Christ is and what he did for us. I promise you will find peace and hope in him and see that no matter what it is, he is always with us!
Have the best week!
Elder Copeland!
