What's up, everyone! It's been a while and a hectic last two weeks!
Last week I was able to go to the temple with a few recent converts from my last area. It had been almost three months since I had seen them, and it was one of the coolest, most special experiences I've had. Seeing the progress they have made since being gone is amazing and I couldn't be more grateful for the opportunity to be in the temple with them for the first time. We didn't tell any of them we were coming and as we walked in all of the kids in the ward lit up and our best friend Carlos started to tear up. Elder Weaver and I, who were comps at the time, both were able to be there and catch up with all of the people from the area.
We also had the baptisms of Jonathan and Jaderson last Sunday. About two weeks ago, the mom called us out of nowhere wanting to know what time church started. Turns out she was baptized 27 years ago and has been away from the church for a very long time. We were able to find her address and went by to meet the family. The mom told us that she just felt something was missing from her life. She's got a family, husband, house, and work yet she knew there was something greater out there. We began teaching the family and the two boys, who are 16 and 10, chose to be baptized! The heater yet again wasn't working, and the baptism happened to be on one of the coldest days. Everything worked out and was an awesome experience for the family.
Today we had transfers which marked the end of another week. I am now in a new area in the city Gravataí. My new comp, Elder Draper, is an absolute stud and has only six more weeks out here. I was hoping to stay longer in Santa Cruz, and it was not easy saying goodbye to the people. Having the opportunity to serve in the same area as my dad and meet the same people he had helped was truly a blessing and everything I hoped for. Last night I made one last run and visited all of my favorite families and giving them all one last hug was tough. You get so close to the people--they become like family and so it's never easy saying the final goodbye.
However, I'm super excited for this new opportunity and can't wait to get started. The journey continues!
Elder Copeland
