What's up, everyone! This was probably one of, if not the best, week I've had out here. So many little miracles and growth in the people we've been teaching. Don't want to be anywhere in the world right now or doing anything else other than being a missionary.
I want to share a few updates and stories about our people out here in Sapucaia. This week we had the baptism of Moisés. We have been talking to Moisés for the last five weeks and before I got here, he had been talking to the Elders for a few weeks. His brother Davi was baptized my first week here and had a date marked to be baptized with Moises, but Moisés had been in and out of the hospital with sickness. He's always really wanted this next step, but it was almost a guarantee he'd spend most of the week in the hospital. However, this week we passed by on Thursday to invite him and Davi to our church activity. He explained he was feeling way better and was ready to go with his baptism. We made a bunch of calls to the ward and ran all around the area in order to have his baptism happen that day. We ended up having a great turnout and he was pumped after. He was talking with everyone and had a huge smile.
Second update is with the group of kids Weaver and I have been teaching. This group lives about 50 min by foot away from the church on top of a mountain basically. However, this week they made the trip there and back almost every day to participate in either seminary, ward activities, or soccer. Without even asking, they were showing up ready to go and full of excitement. It might not sound like much, but when you put it into perspective you can really see the sacrifice these kids are making. It's very rare to find a group of kids like this, especially from their circumstances at home. They want nothing more than to be good people and support their families.
This week we had the baptism of Arthur who is one of the boys. He has a rough life at home but has so much potential as a kid. The whole crew was there to support him and welcome him with open arms.
This week was also a huge success on Sunday. Here in Sapucaia, we have two sets of missionaries and this week at church we had 25 either re-activated members or new members that have been baptized in this transfer. Things like this make all the grind worth it. Seeing these people find peace and hope in the church is the most genuine thing. It's moments and weeks like this I will never take for granted.
Ended the week with a trip to the temple. It's always a special time to be able to do work in the temple, especially as a missionary! It's hard to describe the peace it brings into your life. It always feels like a fresh reset and helps you re-focus on the things that really matter.
I'm loving life out here right now. The everyday grind never lets up but blesses you in more ways than you can even imagine. I hope everything is well back home!
Elder Copeland
