Weeks 56, 57, 58, and 59 - November 3, 2024

 Hey, everyone!  I hope everyone is doing well!  Sorry for not sending out emails lately, I've been busy up here in Livermore.  I need to be better at doing my emails.  I've been loving my time up here in Livermore with Elder Johns and Elder Astle; they're so fun!  We get along super well and have a great time working together.  

While serving in Livermore, we only work with Spanish Speakers.  So we cover Livermore, Pleasonton, and Dublin!  For the past four weeks, we've been trying to find people, but we really haven't had much success. A lot of the people that we talk to are pretty firm in their belief when it comes to religion, God, etc.  Most of the people I have spoken with believe that as long as you believe in God, it doesn't matter what religion you are part of.  We try to explain the Restoration and the Book of Mormon, but most people just don't seem to care.  It can get pretty frustrating, but I can understand where people come from.  I don't know how I'd react if a couple of random dudes, who were trying to speak to them in broken Spanish, about something they have never heard of.  I'll always love people for who they are, and understanding/meeting people where they are is so important. 

Luckily, we have a lot of cool recent converts down here.  A member that was baptized four years ago, named Patricia, has two little sons named Mateo and Manelo, who were baptized recently that we continue to minister to and teach!  They are super fun! They always have matching clothes, and they look and act very similar; Patricia is the best as well!  She calls us the fathers of her children 🤣.  I was able to give her a blessing in Spanish, as well, which was a really cool experience!  

We also have a recent convert named Gilma who's the absolute best!  She's from Venezuela and moved here to the states with her family.  She loves the missionaries and the church!  Whenever she has time, she's always trying to learn more and become more converted to the church.  Whenever we go over, she always has something for us to talk about. She has a granddaughter who's been coming to activities and church who we are trying to work with as well.  We're trying to work with the whole family, but they are usually pretty busy/tired from how much they have to work.  It blows my mind how much people have to work down here for so little; it's definitely super humbling to see how hard people work.  

We currently have a small branch down here, but we are looking to grow it/support it in any way possible that we can.  The Branch President is an amazing guy!  His name is President Cable.  He's a retired middle-aged man who can speak perfect Spanish; he's also really smart!  Me and him talked about investments and crypto for a while.  I'm excited to continue to talk to and meet the members of the Branch. 

The area I cover is really pretty!  We're surrounded by mountains, valleys, large trees, and various lakes!  The area is definitely hard when it comes to missionary work, but it's still an amazing area.  During the past four weeks as well, Elder Wada of the Seventy was able to come and visit our mission, which was a really cool experience.  He taught us a lot of things that we can use and apply to not only our friends, but ourselves as well!  I was also able to have interviews with President Larson.  I made sure to let him know I didn't want leadership still haha, so hopefully I continue to be free!  I also let him know that I want to continue to serve with Elder Johns and Elder Astle.  Hopefully I'll still be able too.

 

All in all, I've been doing well for the past four weeks! We're really trying to find a couple solid people who we can help progress!  It's been discouraging at times not to have anyone who's progressing, but I have faith that we will find some people who are prepared to receive the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.  I'm exciting to continue to work and serve down here.  I wish I could write more about friends we have who are progressing, but we just haven't been able to.  It's alright, we'll continue to keep working hard and have faith that we'll meet someone who's prepared! 

I love my family and miss them so much!  They are the greatest thing to ever happen to me!  They are all so successful and such amazing examples to me!  I'm always super homesick haha but knowing God's plan of Redemption and knowing the possibility of us living together forever is so comforting to know!  Take care and see you guys next week! Send me emails or messages on messenger as well!  I am able to respond!  Elder Copeland

Weeks 54 and 55 - October 5, 2024

Hey, guys!  I hope everyone is doing well!  Sorry for the late/combined email once again haha.  I've been busy finishing up my time in Greenfield and trying to do the work to the best of my ability.  I'm being transferred to an area called Livermore with Elder Astle and Elder Johns.  Funny enough I was supposed to be companions with Elder Johns during my first transfer in Watsonville (until President changed it with Elder Empey) and Elder Astle (who served in my district and who I was companions for a week with Elder Isaacson when Elder Candia got emergency transferred.) The best of it all is that I'M NOT IN LEADERSHIP 🥳.  I seriously pray that I'm never in Leadership. 

During the past weeks, however, we were able to visit Hermano Villa and help him clean up his kitchen and lift him.  We helped Tony budget out a couple things.  While at his house his neighbor came and asked us for a blessing. However, when we tried to go over there, her son, who was severely drunk, threatened us and told us to leave. 🤣. So, his mom called the cops on him, and I had to be a witness for them.  I don't know whatever happened to the guy, but I'll be praying for him.  Also, we were able to meet and give a friend of the sisters a blessing.  She has been recovering from a shooting in King City and is trying to learn how to walk again; she sadly lost her sister in the shooting.  It was definitely a super humbling experience and I'm glad we were able to help her out a little. 

We also helped out Hermano Mateo by giving him and his wife blessings!  He's going through a pretty hard situation with his family back in Mexico.  They won't accept him since he's a member of the church while the rest of his family are Jehovah Witnesses.  It's super sad and hard to see but his willingness to keep going is so inspiring!  We, also, helped members move furniture and boxes from storage units.  

On a lighter note, I was able to dance and learn some sign language with Johny!  That family is the best!  Also, we were able to have the baptism of Clemente and Irma!  It was such a good day!  Funny story though, since Elder Candia was unable to come down, I was asked to baptize Clemente and Irma.  The font that the Greenfield chapel is pretty small, and it isn't very spacious to say the least.  While baptizing Clemente, we were standing a little too close to the edge.  After saying the prayer, I went to submerge him, but I bonked him on the side of the font while doing so 😭.  I was able to somehow get him down still, but I was so embarrassed.  The witnesses and the crowd were in shock (and so was I).  Thankfully, he was not hurt and thought it was pretty funny!  Caleb (Clemente and Irma's little son) thought I was hurting him, so he started crying while his dad was in the font 🤣.  We kept reassuring him that everything was fine, and he eventually stopped haha.  I wanted to breakdown in the font but luckily, I kept it together.  The baptism of Irma went so smooth!  I made sure she was standing further away and that she made sure to bend her knees!  After, Hermano Mateo gave Clemente the Gift of the Holy Ghost while I was able to give Irma the gift of the Holy Ghost in Spanish!  It was one of the most special days of my life!  I'm so incredibly happy for them!  They're going to be lifelong converts without a doubt!  I'm so excited to see them one day enter the temple! 

Throughout the weeks, as well, we were able to visit and teach our friends Eloise, Jose, Arturo, Camilo, and his family, Susana, Freddy, Brian, and Cesar, Silvia, Elvira, etc.  Elder Paxman, Elder Ayerids, and their new companion are going to do great serving in Greenfield, Soledad, and Gonzales!  What they decided to do (which I don't necessarily agree with) was to put English Sisters in Greenfield!  But, they'll be covering the English speaking of Soledad, King City, and Greenfield while the other Elders and Sisters will be covering their areas, but only doing Spanish.  It's going to be really hard for the English Sisters with how much they are going to have to drive and how little English there is down in this area.  I guess they'll figure it out 🤣. 

My final days in Greenfield I was able to say goodbye to everyone!  We had dinner with Tony, Adri, and Estaban, and I was able to say goodbye to them!  I'll be forever grateful for them and their kindness and generosity towards me!  I loved being to go over there and help them with what they need! They also made us incredible food!  I'm excited to see how Tony, his family, and his business ends up doing!  

The next day, I was able to say goodbye to everyone!  Saying goodbye to everyone was so hard.  I first said goodbye to Hermano Villa!  I'm so grateful for the time I had with him!  I lifted him in and out of his bed for six months and I loved every minute of it!  He has such a strong spirit and such a positive outlook on life, regardless of the situation he has been put in. He got pretty emotional saying goodbye to me!  He truly is one of the best men I've ever met!  He even wrote us a poem just letting us know how grateful he was for us!  I'm seriously going to miss him so much! 

After, I was able to say goodbye to Silvia!  Silvia was the best as well!  We would always go and visit her throughout the weeks!  On Sundays, we'd always go over and visit with the other Elders and talk Chisme, etc. 🤣.  She was the sweetest lady ever!  After, I had to go say goodbye to Freddy, Brian, and Cesar!  This was so sad!  Brian and Cesar were basically my family away from family!  I really hope that they can continue to come to church throughout the years and grow up in the gospel so that one when they are ready, they can get baptized and become members!  I was also sad to say goodbye to Freddy.  Seeing him progress throughout my time in Greenfield was so special.  He changed so much physically, mentally, and spiritually!  He was able to overcome some hard things in his past, get a job, receive the Priesthood, and of course, seeing him get baptized was awesome!  

After, we got to say goodbye to Ayrelle and then Clemente and Irma!  It was so sad saying goodbye to them!  It was so awesome to be able to find them and help them progress!  Seeing them grow in the gospel was so amazing, especially their baptism!  While visiting with them, we talked and joked about our time together!  They even let Caleb sit on my lap, which was the cutest thing ever!  He would always bring us waters when we'd come over!  I'm seriously so happy for Clemente and Irma and for them planning on entering the temple when they can!  After, I said goodbye to Susana!  That was super sad!  I'm so proud of Susana and how far she progressed!  She has an amazing future!  I'm happy I was able to help Susana be baptized and give her the Gift of the Holy Ghost.  Susana was our friend we could always go to talk; whether it be gospel related or not!  

We ended the night by saying goodbye to Mateo and the district!  I'll forever be grateful for the friends and people I have met down here in Greenfield!  Not only did Greenfield change me as a missionary, but it changed me as a person for the better!  I'm most definitely planning on coming back here and visiting these people.  The members and the people down here will forever be lifelong friends of mine!  I'm so grateful for the time I had down here!  On to the next!  Elder Copeland