Week 22 - February 18, 2024

 Hi, everyone!  I hope all is well!  This was a tougher week for sure.  Our friend that wanted to be baptized told us that he wasn't interested anymore.  Biking has also been pretty tough. It has continued to rain which has been pretty miserable.  It's hard to find motivation to go out and bike in the dark, rain, and in areas that aren't safe.  I'm definitely taking things day by day.  All in all, I'm doing well! 

WEDNESDAY (2/7/24):  We got to go to the Temple today!  I'lI never get over how beautiful the temple and the temple grounds are.  The view of the bay area is also amazing.  It's really cool to see non-members visit the temple and experience the temple grounds and the Visitor Center.  We live a couple hours away from the temple, so it took up most of our day.

THURSDAY (2/8/24):  We were able to have a lesson with an inactive recent convert named David.  He has some pretty severe social anxiety problems, so he was pretty hesitant at letting us come.  After waiting like an hour, he eventually let us in.  We talked a little about his baptism, the Gift of the Holy Ghost, prayer, and the Sacrament.  He told us he was going to start coming again.  He definitely needs our support and care. We had a quick contact with a man named Marcos and explained to him what we do as missionaries.  After, we had a really good discussion with our friend Isabel.  We talked with her about the Book of Mormon and explained to her the Restoration.  She told us that what we were teaching her made sense.  Hopefully she stays interested!

FRIDAY (2/9/24):  We went contacting before our lesson with Salvador. We weren't able to get a ride to the church so we had to bike there.  It was about a 30-minute ride.  It didn't help that I skimmed the edge of the road and fell off my bike pretty hard.  I got pretty frustrated and kicked my bike afterwards haha.  We eventually got to the church and taught Salvador about the Word of Wisdom.  He smokes a lot, but he told us he's willing to quit.  We promised him as he quit, he'd receive spiritual and physical blessings.  After, we had our ward's potluck/fundraiser for the Young Women.  A good amount of people came, and it ended up being pretty successful!

SATURDAY (2/10/24):  Elder Johnson didn't feel good this morning, so we ended up staying inside the apartment the whole day.  We also got a text from Christopher saying he didn't want to be baptized, which was disappointing to see.  He told us he still wanted to stay in contact with us. 

SUNDAY (2/11/24):  Super Bowl Sunday!  Salvador and some of our other friends come to church, which is always good. After finishing our studies, we headed to the Durans to have lunch and watch the Super Bowl.  It was so incredibly fun.  I miss watching sports so much haha.  We had to head out after halftime because our mission was given a 6:00 curfew.  It was probably good we were given a curfew because I'm sure everyone was in a bad mood after the game with the 49ers losing.  We live only about an hour away from Santa Clara, so everyone down here are huge 49ers fans. 

MONDAY (2/12/24):  We talked with Christopher a while today at his house.  He invited us to go workout with him so we decided we would go and make a lesson out of it as well.  In all honesty, his garage was pretty gross, but we were still able to lift.  During this, we began to talk about prayer, resisting temptation, repentance, and the importance of surrounding yourself with positive influences.  We read from the Book of Mormon as well.  We decided not to bring up him canceling his baptism.  We felt like it was better to take things slower with him.  After some more contacting, we had a lesson with Marcos and his mother.  They had recently lost a loved one, so we talked a little bit about the Plan of Salvation and read parts of Alma 42 with them.  We ended the night by beginning exchanges with the Zone Leaders.

TUESDAY (2/13/24):  I went over to the Zone Leaders' area with Elder DeRosier.  They have the nastiest apartment I've ever been in.  I'm very happy that me and Elder Johnson keep our apartment tidy.  

This was the first time on my mission leaving my area on an exchange, so it was pretty interesting. We visited some of the people they were teaching and found some new people as well.  I had to recite the First Vision to a man we met at his house in Spanish; he started giggling half way through because of my Spanish haha.  We had soccer night with the ward to end the night.  I'm still terrible at soccer, but I'm getting a little better:  I scored three goals.  Love, Elder Copeland

Week 21 - February 11, 2024

 Hello!  How is everything going?  I miss everyone so much! We had a pretty successful week, but it was also hard.  A huge storm passed through Santa Cruz, and we got hit pretty hard by the wind and rain.  We were able to get rides here and there but for most part we biked it.  We found some new people and our progressing friends are doing well!  I'm starting to get the lessons down the more and more we teach them. The only thing I'm missing is my Spanish.  The mission is definitely teaching patience.  I'm trying to be easy on myself considering the fact that I've only been learning Spanish for 4 1/2 months now.  My companion is extremely talented in teaching and in speaking Spanish.  I'm praying one day it will eventually click!  Anyways, here's how my week went!

WEDNESDAY (1/31/24):  Pretty good P-day. It was another relaxing day.  We cleaned up, took some naps, and hung out with our Zone at the Santa Cruz Stake Center.  We played some basketball and soccer.  It was pouring the whole the day, so we weren't able to really do anything else.  I always love talking with my family.  It's the highlight of my week!

THURSDAY (2/1/24):  After finishing weekly planning, we had a solid lesson with Christopher.  We went through all the key points of the Restoration and explained to him how the Book of Mormon came to be.  We went into depth about the Priesthood and explained it to him.  We read the First Vision with him and D&C 13 and 27 with him to explained to him what the Priesthood was.  He understood what we were teaching him and seemed pretty interested in learning more!  We left him the story of Alma the Younger to read.  Right as he left, he texted us saying he knew that the Book of Mormon was true! He's progressing really well!  After, we had a lesson with Salvador at the church.  We talked about the two great commandments, Love God and Others, and read John 13: 34-15 with him.  It's so important to love another as Jesus loves us.  It can be hard at times, but it is always worth it in the end! After, we talked a little bit about the commandments and how they are given to us for our benefit and not as a punishment. He is willing to follow the commandments he told us!

FRIDAY (2/2/24):  We had to go to the laundromat to grab some quarters for our laundry.  Some lady came to us while doing so and asked us if we had any cigarettes.  She got pretty mad at us when we told her no, but we just laughed it off. Bishop Duran asked us to go visit Sister Schwalenberg to see if she needed any help preparing for the upcoming storm that was about the plow through Watsonville.  Instead, we had a hour long conversation with her explaining why bad things happen to good people, what happens to children who die before getting baptized, why the Priesthood couldn't stop covid, and the importance of partaking of the Sacrament.  We explained to her as clearly as we could.  She understood for the most part, but really struggled with the idea of "God" letting COVID start.  She's such a sweet lady and we care for her deeply!  She has some extreme health issues that prevent her from going to church and understanding certain things, but she said she's going to try coming back in March.  We talked with David for a little bit after, but he wasn't too interested in talking with us.  We're sadly going to have to drop him.  He's a great guy but never really was that interested.  We met up with Isabel, our Seventh-day Adventist friend, and gave her a quick rundown on the Restoration and the Book of Mormon.  We ended the night with a great discussion with Salamon and his family.  They fed us some of the weirdest tasting soup I've ever had.  I drank as much as I could before I couldn't anymore.  We talked with them about the Book of Mormon!  While we were leaving, they insisted we take some cereal and milk with us.  They even gave us a bag to carry it on our bikes.  This family lives in a one-room house yet was willing to do and give us so much.  This mission has really humbled me and showed me that there are so many people who are so kind and willing to do such kind gestures even when they have so little themselves.  It really makes me appreciate all that I have been given.  I hope to be able to give what I can as well!

SATURDAY (2/3/24):  We had to wait to get a ride to the church for our lesson with Christopher since Elder Johnson's stomach wasn't feeling great.  It was also nice not to have to bike 30 minutes uphill on a crowded highway.  We talked with Christopher for a while about weightlifting and dieting.  We're both really into fitness so we hit it off for a while.  After, we began to talk about the commandments, specifically the Word of Wisdom and the Law of Chasity.  He began to explain to us how much better he has felt both physically and mentally as he has stayed away from those things. He began to tell us how much his life has improved as he has begun to change the way he acts and behaves.  We invited him to be baptized on the 17th of February and he accepted.  We promised him that as he progressed, he'd soon be able to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, which he was really excited about.  After, we had to help lift a washing machine for a lady in our ward in preparation for the upcoming storm.  

It had already begun to come down pretty hard before.  After, we did some contacting in the rain which was pretty miserable.  We talked to a lady that had been baptized into our church but has since been converted into Catholicism.  She began to explain to us how she worshiped Judas instead now.  We tried our best to explain to her why she was wrong, but she wasn't having it. We just left laughing at how ridiculous she was being, super nice lady though!  To end the night, we had dinner with the Daleys, which was well needed.  It was such a good time.

SUNDAY (2/4/24):  The weather today felt like I was living in Florida again.  The wind and rain were out of control.  During ward council, the electricity went out.  We had to cancel church for the whole day.  In fact, the electricity went out in the entire town, including our apartment.  We had to spend most of the day in our apartment.  Luckily, we were able to get out and have dinner with the Welches.  We talked a lot about the Book of Mormon and Bishop Welch's mission.  The mission has been the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life, but the missionaries before us had it even harder.  No telephones, no Area Book app, no cars (not like I'll ever get one though haha), etc.  They had to use paper maps, paper area books, etc. They really have made missionary work easier and more effective with the use of technology.  We couldn't go to Night Church due to the electricity outage, so we had to end the night early and return home.

MONDAY (2/5/24):  We had another really good lesson with Christoper.  It was probably the longest lesson of my mission. 

We gave him the whole Plan of Salvation.  We explained to him the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  In addition to this, we explained to him why the Atonement was needed after the fall of Adam and Eve.  We read parts of 2 Nephi 2 with him to further explain to him the Fall of Adam and Eve and why it was necessary.  In addition to this, we explained to him to him about the temples and baptisms for the dead.  We read John 3:5 and 1 Corinthians 15:29 with him to explain baptisms for the dead.  While talking about the Kingdoms of Glory, we read 1 Coronthians 15:40-41 to explain the kingdoms.  He thought it was pretty fascinating how these things were explained in the Bible.  We met a lady named Maria afterwards.  She invited us into her home to pray for her and her family.  We explained to her what we do as missionaries, and she seemed pretty interested.  She invited us to come back another time!  Nothing much happened afterwards.

TUESDAY (2/6/24:  We did some contacting and then had another really good lesson with Salvador.  We talked to him about the covenants we make at baptism and what the covenant path was.  We drew it on the chalkboard to help him visualize it better.  We explained to him what the Priesthood was, what we do in temples and why they are necessary, and the blessings and gifts we receive when we make covenants. Bishop Duran came to meet with Salvador afterwards as well to figure out his marriage ordeal.  He shared a super strong testimony on Eternal Families and how much the gospel has blessed him and his family.  Salvador has a family of his and he cared about them deeply.  Bishop and he had a discussion figuring out his marriage situation.  He helped Salvador set up a plan!  As soon as Salvador gets married, he will get baptized! We ended the night by playing some soccer.  Love, Elder Copeland

Week 20 - February 3, 2024

Hello!  I hope everyone is doing good!  I got a new companion!  Elder Johnson is a really cool guy.  I was pretty disappointed to have to be split up from Elder Empey because we got a long really well.  It's alright though, my new companion is a cool guy!  I'm definitely learning a lot in my studies and my teaching mastery has improved immensely. Personal Study is definitely one of my favorite times of the day. Spanish is still extremely hard, but it's coming along little by little.  It's by far the hardest thing I've ever had to learn. Calculus is easy compared to this haha!  The area is still doing very well!  I love Watsonville so much!  The members and the friends we are teaching are such a joy to be around.

WEDNESDAY (1/24/24):  The whole Zone was pretty upset and sad about the changes we received during Transfers.  No one wanted to leave and 6 out of the 10 people in our Zone received the news that they would be transferred.  We still had a fun day though.  We played beach volleyball and some basketball at the Stake Center.  After, we had to go pack up all of Elder Empey's belongings in preparation for transfers the upcoming day. 

THURSDAY (1/25/24):  Today was Transfer Day.  I got to say goodbye to Elder Salazar as he had finished up his mission. I'm so happy I was able to go on an exchange with him last transfer.  He was such a great AP.  The whole mission met at the Mission Office to drop off and meet our new companions. We picked up Elder Johnson, stuffed the Zone Leaders' car with as much stuff as possible and then drove back to Watsonville.  Let's just say it was an extremely tight squeeze the whole way back.  After, we unpacked Elder Johnson's things, cleaned, and then reorganized our apartment.  It is so much cleaner now and we have way more space.  To end the night, we had a really good lesson with Salvador.  We read all of 2 Nephi 31 with him and we went more into detail about baptism and the Gift of the Holy Ghost.  Salvador truly wants to be baptized and become a member of our church!  Him being unmarried is the only thing holding him back.  We set up a time with him to meet with our bishop so that he can figure out a way to get married.  He also struggles with the Word of Wisdom.  He has never been taught the Word of Wisdom, so the upcoming the lessons that we are going to have with him we're gonna clarify that with him. 

FRIDAY (1/26/24):  Today was a pretty good first day of the Transfer.  We finally got in contact with a progressing investigator in our area named Blake.  We met him at his house, and we taught him about the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Gift of the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End).  He hadn't been taught the Book of Mormon before and he didn't really know what it was about.  Instead, we focused our teachings from the Bible which was effective.  He loves the Bible so much!   We read Hebrews 12:1 with him and talked about Repentance.  Afterwards, he told us how he had done some pretty hurtful and sinful things in his past and that through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, he had already begun to change his life around.  We also read Mathew 3 with him and explained to him the story of Jesus getting baptized.  He told us he really wants to get baptized!  He has a couple things that he needs to work on/get taught, but he's progressing!  After, we knocked on our friend named Jessica's door and talked with her for a second.  She's definitely not interested anymore.  In fact, she lied to us about her first name, which was pretty funny.  Sister Franklin didn't want us over, which was disappointing.  We had dinner and then visited our friend Salamon.  Salamon and his family are amazing.  We talked with them for a while.  I can notice my ability to understand and speak Spanish is improving, but I still have a long way to go.  Salamon has the chance to progress, but he's moving out of Watsonville to go work for a couple months. 

SATURDAY (1/27/24):  Elder Johnson got invited to a baptism of someone that he had taught in Freemont.  In fact, he was asked to be the one to baptize her, which was pretty cool.  We practically spent the whole day driving to Freemont and back because of the traffic and how far the drive actually was.  To end the night, we got salads with Juan, our Spanish Groups Leader, at Habbit.

SUNDAY (1/28/24):  As a district (Me, Elder Johnson, Elder Pepper, and Elder DeRosier) had 19 friends come to church today.  Salamon, Christopher, Salvador, etc., all came!  Orlando wasn't able to make it since he was out of town.  In Elders Quorum we read, "The Hallmarks of Happiness" together and discussed it with one another.  There are so many little things that we can do in our lives to make us happier:  being kind, loving, virtuous, non-judgmental, etc., are just some of the few out of many ways that we can live happier lives by.  It's all about your attitude and perspective.  After our studies, we had dinner with President Duran and his family. They had the 49ers game playing so we were able to watch the second half of the game.  I felt so happy being able to watch football again.  It also helped that it turned out to be a really good game!   President Duran told us about his conversion with the missionaries and how later on he was called and set apart as a Stake President by Elder Holland. We ended the night by going to night church. 

MONDAY (1/29/24):  We had district council this morning.  We talked about self-mastery and building up Spiritual Strength, following the commandments, and overcoming the wants of the natural man.  After DC, we did a little contacting.  We ran into one of our friends named Victoria at her house.  She told us that she had been taught by Sister Missionaries in the past but wasn't interested anymore because they stopped visiting her all of a sudden.  I was pretty frustrated when I heard that had happened to her, in all honesty.  After, we had dinner with the Welches, which is always the best.  We were able to throw some darts on Bishop Welch's dart board, which was fun. 

After talking it up with them for a while, we visited Mike and his friends.  Mike was pretty drunk and had been smoking weed.  We gave him a quick rundown about the Plan of Salvation, but him and his buddies did not care at all.  We're probably going to have to move on from Mike.  We had another really good lesson with Salamon after though!  We explained to him how we receive our mission calls, the church as a whole, what covenants were and how they tie into our temples, and the sacrament.  They gave us some fruits as we left, which were delicious! 

TUESDAY (1/30/24):  We did some more contacting today.  We met a 7th day Adventist named Isabel.  She was very nice! We talked about the importance of praying and reading our scriptures.  I read Alma 34:38 with her and explained to her that God always listens and answers our prays, whether it be through the Holy Ghost or another way.  We also talked a little about the 10 commandments and the importance of keeping the Sabbath Day holy.  We left 3 Nephi 27 for her to read.  We met a nice family afterwards and set up a return date.  Salvador was supposed to meet with Bishop today but had to reschedule.  We went to soccer night, but this was the first time in weeks where no one showed up.  Love, Elder Copeland