Week 34 and 35 - May 15, 2024

I hope everyone is doing well!  Here's how my week went!

WEDNESDAY (5/8/24):  Pretty fun P-day!  We went grocery shopping, got our haircuts, did our laundry, cleaned up, and then headed up to King City to visit an agricultural museum.  To my surprise, it was actually really cool!  There were old tractors, cars, schoolhouses, barns, trains, etc.  I took a bunch of pictures.  

After, we went to the Green's house (members in our ward) and played games with our district.  While heading to English class to end the night, I rolled a stop sign right in front of a Police Officer since we were running late.  She pulled me over in the church parking lot right in front of a couple members haha.  She was pretty cool about it and just gave me a verbal warning.  We ended the night by teaching English class to a recent convert named Alex.

THURSDAY (5/9/24):  We had to deep clean our car in preparation for Zone Conference the upcoming day.  After, we had to weekly plan which took a while; weekly planning is never fun but it's definitely worth.  We tried visiting Freddy afterwards, but he wasn't home.  We played some football with Cesar and then watched the "Good Samaritan" video on my phone with the kids; we talked about the importance of helping out those in need.  I love Cesar so much.  After the lesson, he made sure that everyone paid attention during the prayer.  He talked about how he wants to start praying every night and reading more from the Book of Mormon.  After, we taught Natalia again.  We taught her about the Fall of Adam and Eve, how there is opposition in all things, the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and the importance of a Savior, etc.  We read parts of 2 Nephi 2 with her.  We also helped her with some boy drama haha.  Natalia is so chill.  We'll literally just have casual conversations with her, which is way nice; we also got to meet her mom and the rest of the family!  They're very nice!

FRIDAY (5/10/24):  We had Zone Conference this morning up in Solinas.  We talked about the importance of the Book of Mormon and how it is essential in helping others becoming converted.  I've learned a lot of things on my mission so far, but gaining a testimony on the Book of Mormon by reading and praying about it is the only way you'll become truly converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  We also talked about the importance of teaching, studying, and reading from the Book of Mormon as a missionary.  

After, we drove back home.  We were supposed to do service for a member in our ward, but they had to reschedule!  After coming home and finishing our studies, we taught a friend we found named Nayeli about the Book of Mormon and read the introduction with her.  We also taught her how to pray and invited her to read and pray about the Book of Mormon.   

After, we had another lesson with Natalia at her house.  She and Freddy are our most progressing friends at the moment so we're really trying to work with them.  We explained to her the Book of Mormon one more time.  She had questions on if the Bible talked about the Book of Mormon at all, so we shared some examples where it shows it doing so.  We also showed her the 3 Nephi 16 Book of Mormon video where Jesus Christ talks about "the other sheep."  We also talked about faith with her and left her Alma 32 to read on her own!  After, we taught Eduardo about the temple and baptisms for the dead as he prepares to get his temple recommend for the first time!  After, we had to help set up for the Mother's Day party for the Spanish Group for Saturday.  Apparently, Mother's Day was today for Latinos haha!  We ended the night by having another discussion with Freddy and visited a member in our ward. We're going to visit and contact Freddy every single day to make sure he's ready for his baptism June 1! 

SATURDAY (5/11/24):  We received a call from a referral named Luis.  We had like a thirty-minute conversation with him over the phone; he bore his testimony about Jesus Christ and God for a good 10-15 minutes: it was pretty awesome!  He told us he'd pull up to church!  We taught about the Book of Mormon and read the story of Samuel the Lamanite with him. He was telling us he wanted to make sure that he knew our names so that he could pray for us and our families!  After some contacting and meeting a couple new people, we met a super nice Catholic lady.  We taught her about the Book of Mormon and read a couple verses with her.  We also taught her a little about the apostacy, the priesthood, and how it was lost.  She was interested in the book but seemed set on being a Catholic.  After, we taught the sister of Natalia (Susana) about baptism by water and fire and the importance of receiving the Holy Ghost.  We really want to help Natalia and her family progress!  While walking, we saw our friend Israel walking.  We ran up to him and said what up!  We had been out of contact with him since we didn't have his phone number or address.  Luckily, he told us that he had gotten a new phone, so we were able to get his number; it was honestly kind of a miracle.  After, we said what up to Bryan and Cesar and then had a lesson with Freddy about the Word of Wisdom.  We taught him how our bodies are temples and need to be taken care off; we read out of Doctrine and Covenants and talked about it.  He said he was willing to keep it, so fingers crossed! If there's one thing I've learned, it's just how important the commandments are.  They really are to help keep us spiritually and physically safe.  

After, we had to help Hermano Villa get to the ward party: this was quite the task.  We usually only have to lift him out, put him in his chair, and then a bus comes and pick him.  However, the bus wasn't able to come and pick him up.  So, we had to fold down all the chairs in the back of a member's car and Me, Elder Candia, Elder Isaacson, and Elder Markham had to lift him up and put him the car.  It was difficult but we were able to do it.  Hermano Villa is an amazing man.  Even after everything he's been dealt with in his life, he's still one of the most positive men I've ever met.  I've been so incredibly blessed.  I'm so glad we were able to get him to the ward party: it went great!  We had a bunch of friends come as well!  I ended the night by giving a blessing to one of the Elders in our district. 

SUNDAY (5/12/24):  We sang in church today for Mother's Day which went pretty well.  I forgot the name of the song, but apparently the ward has been singing it for 35+ years.  We also had a bunch of friends pull up!  Freddy, Cesar, Brian, and a family that we know!  After the sacrament, we had a lesson with Cesar and Brian.  We watched the Last Supper video with them and taught them about the Sacrament; Hermano Mateo came as well and shared his testimony.  After, I was able to talk with my mom and my family.  I'm so grateful for my mother and all she has done for me.  I could write for hours on how grateful I am for my mother and the influence she has had in my life; I'm so grateful for my family! 

 After talking with my mother, we tried visiting Adan, but he wasn't home.  We met some kid though and taught him a little bit about the Plan of Salvation.  After, we taught Natalia's little sister (Alejandra) about the Book of Mormon and the importance of Jesus Christ. After, we visited a member in our ward named Silvia.  Silvia is amazing!  We talked about being an example of Christ through our actions, words, and overall discipleship.  Vilma (the lady we are currently teaching) was there as well!  They wanted me to help them pronounce my last name haha.  After, we played some football with Brian and Cesar.  We wanted to try and talk with their parents, but they weren't home.  We ended the night by going to Night Church and then a member in our ward; sadly, no one came to Night Church but Tony, the member in our ward, fed us.  Since I'm a picky eater, he personally makes me chicken every time we go over: he truly is amazing.  For his birthday, I got him a bunch of stuff which he loved. 

MONDAY (5/13/24):  I had exchanges today with Elder Thompson (who was my first trainer)!  After district council, I was able to go up to Solinas for the day.  We were able to meet and teach some of the people in their area!  It was a good time! 

TUESDAY (5/14/24):  Today was one of the craziest days of my mission:  We started the day by contacting some of the referrals we had received.  We met a cool guy named Luis Estaban and taught him about the Priesthood.  After, while driving, I went down a one-way road trying to find the address of a referral we had received.  However, when I reached the end of the road, there was no possible way for me to turn around.  So, I had to put the car into reverse the entire time on the road while Elder Candia was directing me.  After, we had the craziest lesson of my whole mission.  We knocked on the door of a referral we have received, and he opens the door, shirt off, a covid mask on, dancing to some weird music video haha.  He was telling us to come in, but we weren't trying to do that.  We had a lesson with him outside of his and it was wild. He was telling us how he was able to ride on top of a rainbow with his bike and how a mole began attacking him at his grandmother's funeral.  After, he began reading from the Book of Nahum in his Bible (I've never heard of it) and it was the wildest story I've ever heard.  After, he began singing a song he wrote for his daughter and showed us some pictures he drew of Jesus carrying his grandmother up to Heaven; I could write a whole separate email about this lesson.  He has a strong belief in Jesus Christ and God though; we taught him about the Book of Mormon and read some verses with him. After, we chilled with Brian and taught him about Samuel the Lamanite and showed him a couple Book of Mormon videos. We taught our friend Alma about baptism and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  After, we headed back to the apartment, but Elder Candia had left the keys in the apartment.  So, Elder Candia had to scale the roof, break open our window and jump through it; luckily, he didn't get hurt.  After, we ended the night by having Noche De Hogar and sports night.  Elder Copeland

Week 33 - May 7, 2024

Hello, everyone!  I hope everyone is doing well!

WEDNESDAY (4/24/24):  We went to Fisherman's Wharf down in Monterey for P-day.  We got some souvenirs, saw some seals and boats, took some pictures and then headed to the Seaside building to spend time with our Zone.  

I had to work on the pamphlets for Elizabeth's baptism most of the time.  I was pretty stressed about it for most of the day.  After heading to Walmart to grab a couple of things, we got stuck in some pretty bad traffic.  We had to scramble to find someone to start filling up the font in Greenfield or else it wouldn't have been full by 7:30.  Luckily, a member in our ward named Mateo was able to go over to the chapel and turn on the font.  The baptism went really well!  I was able to give a talk in Spanish about baptism as well.  It was amazing being able to see her be baptized and receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost.  Elizabeth was so happy!  She was so happy to be baptized here before having to move to Washington.  I'm glad I was able to make her baptism special and memorable!

THURSDAY (4/25/24):  I woke up not feeling the greatest unfortunately.  I spent a lot of the day sleeping and cleaning up the apartment.  Fortunately, we were able to get out of the apartment for a little bit in the evening since I was feeling better.  We stopped by Cesar and Brian (the two little kids who we stop by everyday:  I love them so much) and read 2 Nephi 2:25 and talked about what makes us happy!  After, we had a lesson with our progressing friend named Freddy.  Freddy has been taught by missionaries for a while now but me and Elder Candia are really starting to progress with him.  We explained to him more about the Book of Mormon and read the introduction with him!  We read Moroni 10:3-5 with him and taught him the importance of reading the Book of Mormon and praying about it.  We were also able to meet one of his friends named Israel.  He was actually way cool and seemed interested in learning more!  After, we read all of 2 Nephi 31 with Natalia and talked about the importance of baptism and following the example Jesus Christ set for us.  After, we met one of the funniest guys I've ever met.  He had a blue Hoodie and some sweats on and came up to us and explained how he was moving to Alaska to go fish, how he's like superman and lives two different lives, how much he loves Goku (he gave me a Goku Card), how the food sucks down here in Greenfield but that America is the promised land, etc.  He was VERY drunk. He wanted us to get a picture with him, so we did!  He also took a picture of our Gmail and told us he's gonna email us in Alaska so we'll see haha!

FRIDAY (4/26/24):  We had a service project that we had to attend for most of the day.  Sister Carpenter, a lady in our ward, was moving and needed our help!  She lives on a pretty big ranch.  We helped pull weeds, pick up sticks, moved containers/boxes around, and had to help throw away a dead cat of hers that had been killed by a coyote (she has like 25 wild cats that live on her property).  She also showed us her collection of old Barbie dolls!  She has some originals that date back to the 80's!  After, we were able to go see Naveah and her family (a couple kids we are teaching).  They've had a really hard life, so we go over often to try and help them out. They're pretty crazy though haha.  I helped one of the kids (named Saira) out with her homework and pushed her around on her bike.  After, we helped move Brother Villa out of his wheelchair into his bed.  He has some pretty severe health problems that he faces: it feels good to be able to help him out! He's such an amazing man.  After, we taught Freddy and Israel.  Our lessons always go long with them but they're always good!  To end the night, I went through the pictures in front of the Book of Mormon and explained the stories behind them to Brian and Cesar.

SATURDAY (4/27/24):  Super busy day!  While contacting, we met a man named Facundo.  We were just knocking doors and he let us inside his house.  He gave his backstory on his music career, his family, etc.  He told us he had met with Jehovah Witnesses in the past but that they had stopped coming by. We explained to him the Book of Mormon and taught him in 3 Nephi.  He was very interested and told us that he was going to read it.  Another cool experience happened!  We were knocking doors again and we met a lady named Arlene.  Funny enough, we had seen her earlier on in the day riding an E Bike with her child (The Bike was Seriously so Cool).  We talked to her about our purpose here on Earth, Heavenly Father and the Plan of Salvation.  She got emotional and told us that she felt like God sent us here for a reason.  She told us that she wouldn't be able to meet with us though because she was Lesbian.  I was so disappointed because she was so receptive to our message.  We had lessons with Freddy, Cesar, and Brian to end the night. 

SUNDAY (4/28/24):  Brian, Cesar, and Israel pulled up to church.  We went to primary with Cesar and Brian.  They did pretty well in Sacrament but were absolutely CRAZY during Sacrament.  After the Sacrament, we took them out in the halls, showed them a Book of Mormon video, and let them leave haha.  After church finished, we had a really long but powerful lesson with our friend Israel.  He opened up to us about a lot of the things that he was going through.  We talked about the blessings of being a Child of God, following Jesus Christ, our purpose here on earth, the importance of opposition in all things, etc.  We showed him David A Bednar's "Tender Mercies" video which brought him to tears.  I'm excited to keep teaching him!  After, we had to wait at the church for Elder Forbes to come down from San Jose to bring spare keys since Elder Candia had left them in the apartment.  After, we had a lesson with a recent convert named Eduardo (we are teaching his mother as well).  We talked about the Tree of Life and watched the Book of Mormon video with him about it. 

MONDAY (4/29/24):  We had Zone Council and District Council which ate up most of the day since it took place in Seaside.  Once we got back to Greenfield, we had another really good lesson with Freddy and Israel.  We're counting to teach them about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Plan of Salvation, Covenants, the Priesthood, our purpose here on earth, etc.  They really enjoying listening to and reading from the Book of Mormon, so we do that with them as well.  We had a lesson with Natalia and talked about the Atonement and why we need to have faith.  To end the night, we read scriptures with our friend Adan.  He had recently just had eye surgery, so he enjoys when we come over and teach him/read out loud to him.

TUESDAY (4/30/24):  We had interviews with President Larson and Sister Larson today.  It went really well!  This was probably my most chill interview I've had with President.  Me and Sister Larson talked about the Book of Mormon during our interview. After interviews, we had to help Sister Carpenter again at her house.  This time, I was able to cut down branches from her tree: I got it looking nice!  It took a while though so after sharing a spiritual thought with her and her family, we had to go to sports night.  Sports night is crazy down here since 30+ kids show up every single time, but it's fun!  We're practically babysitting them but seeing them so happy/having so much fun makes it all worth it.  Elder Copeland