For P-day today, we worked out and cleaned up the apartment! It was already pretty clean, so it didn't take too long! Afterwards, we went and bowled at the local bowling alley next to where we live! It reminded me so much of Jack and Jill's (the bowling alley that we have in Utah), so it felt like I was back at home; I'm a terrible bowler, but it was fun regardless. After, we went to Savers to go thrifting. I was actually able to find a pretty cool tie and an ironer for my shirts! One of the many things that I've learned on my mission is how you don't NEED that many things to survive and how you can always be stylish/good looking no matter what time of clothes you are wearing. After, we got some lunch and then I got a haircut at a little Vietnamese barber shop down the street. I was skeptical about it at first, but the lady there actually did a pretty good job! It was relatively cheap as well! After, we went shopping, did our laundry, and played some basketball at the church! We also talked with our families! After P-day ended, we tried going to our lessons, but they all canceled on us, sadly. We tried to get stuff done, but everyone was either not home or not interested: ooh well!
On Thursday, we had our weekly zoom call where we talked about Atonement of Jesus Christ and how the Book of Mormon helps us to better understand his Atonement and his role as our Savior and Redeemer in the Plan of Salvation! I would NOT have the testimony or the knowledge I have of the Savior without the Book of Mormon! It truly is an amazing book that has changed my life, and it has truly helped me through the hardest times of my mission! There are dozens (if not hundreds) of verses in the Book of Mormon that testify of Christ and his Atonement! After contacting our referrals, studying, and eating lunch, we headed to the chapel to Weekly Plan! Weekly planning has been one of my strengths as a missionary because I am able to be so organized throughout the week! I always make sure to have plans/contacts for all of our friends throughout the week! We really have been blessed as missionaries to have "Preach my Gospel"! Afterwards, we went and taught Kevin at his house! Before teaching him, we had a LONG chat about how he entered the United States from Columbia; apparently, he flew all the way to Mexico and then crossed the border through the river! He got caught by the border patrol, but they let him through for some reason haha (he didn't tell us the specifics on how he got out). It was a pretty crazy story! For our lesson, we taught him about the Sacrament and the importance of making covenants! After, we went through the five principles of the Doctrine of Christ and how covenants with God allow us to obtain eternal life! We read from 3 Nephi 27:8-22 with him and explained to him how the Savior taught his people here in the Ancient Americas and how his doctrine still applies to our lives today! I've really gained a testimony of the simplicity of the doctrine and of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! If we have faith, repent, make/keep/and renew covenants with God and endure to the end, we will obtain the highest kingdom of Glory in the Celestial Kingdom! It's super important that we understand the Plan of Salvation and how the Savior's Atonement and his doctrine go hand and hand! I'm so grateful for the knowledge and testimony I've gained during my time as a missionary! I will continue to study and learn more every single day! Kevin really liked the scriptures we read with him, and he has the desire to keep learning and growing! We also explained to him the difference between the Holy Ghost and the Gift of the Holy Ghost! We used Acts 19:1-6 to explain to him the difference between the two! We ended our lesson by bearing our testimonies on the gospel and how it brings blessings and happiness in our lives! Kevin and Betsy are so cool, but they are just so busy with work! Kevin works two jobs (one at Target and one as a janitor at a hospital) so he isn't able to come to church very often! We are going to keep visiting and nurturing him; he will get there one day!
After dinner, we hung out with Adrianna and Mariela, two young girls who are actually converts to the church! They shared their conversion stories with us and how they came to know the gospel! One of them told us how the missionaries had found her while she was sitting in her car! They knocked on her door and began talking to her through the car window! She had some opposition with her family since they were devout Catholics, but she eventually overcame that and was baptized a couple months later! One thing she mentioned to us that really stood out was how the Elders would have genuine conversations with her before trying to teach! They got to know her as a person, what makes her happy, etc. before trying to teach her anything! I've gained such a strong testimony of this principle throughout my mission! It's so crucial we show these people that we are real, genuine human beings, as well! Building relationships allows trust to be built as well! I always love hearing stories of recent converts and their experiences with the missionaries and the church as a whole! It gives me so much hope and it shows me that what we are doing as missionaries truly does mean something important! It also allows me to learn how I can be a more effective missionary!
After dinner, we went to the park to teach Andres! We didn't have much time, but we taught him about the Priesthood and how God is our Father in Heaven! We had to help him understand the difference between Priesthood keys, authority and offices, and how the Priesthood differentiates our church from any other church! We also explained to him the significance of having a modern-day living prophet! He has a pretty Catholic background so we're helping him better understand the restored gospel! He's really cool, he just works a lot!
Afterwards, we went to the church and taught Pascual and Alberto about the Book of Mormon and the story of Lehi and his family! They now understand the Book of Mormon and the story of it! I made sure to include and testify how the Book of Mormon clearly testifies of the Plan of Salvation, the Atonement and Gospel of Jesus Christ, the restoration and the other principles of the Gospel! It truly is an amazing book! We ended the night by helping teach English class and starting exchanges with Elder Fontane! Elder Fontane is a really cool guy! He's been out for around a year and actually went to Skyridge! He knew a couple of the people I knew over there, and we talked a lot about our time in high school and the experiences we had! Right before going to bed, one of the English Elder's friends named Jimmy called us up and talked to us for like 45 minutes haha! His wife is a member, and his daughter actually works for the church! He's been taught by the missionaries for a while now but just hasn't had the desire to be baptized yet! I guess a lot of the Elders in the past have really tried to push baptism on him which has frustrated him. There are times when missionaries are a little too pushy and we must learn to be bold but not overbearing! I shared my testimony on the Book of Mormon and how the Plan of Salvation has changed my life! I told him he'll know when he's ready to be baptized and that if he can do the spiritual work required of him, the Spirit will testify to him that it's the right thing to do! He really liked what I was telling him, and he appreciated what I was telling him! He's like the Elders' best friend, so hopefully I get to meet him before heading home! He loves the missionaries and what we do/dedicate our lives to do! Funny guy!
On Friday for exchanges with Elder Fontane, we began the day by playing pickleball with the Zone and then studying! We began the day by trying to visit some people but none of them were home; we had some white lady get really mad at us 🤣! I was able to find some nice Spanish friends for us! I talked to some guy who had an ankle monitor with a blunt in his hand (I couldn't tell if he was there all the way) but he liked what I was teaching him! After, we had lunch with a recent convert of the Elders who had recently hit a year named Pat! She was a super interesting (but nice) lady! She was found by a couple Elders while collecting recycling and she has loved the gospel ever since! She's getting endowed on July 5 which is awesome! For a spiritual thought, we taught her about the importance of finding the good in others and being a peacemaker! She has a deep hatred for the current President of the United States and claims he's "Satan" 🤣. Nice lady though!
After Pat, we had our companionship study and then we went and visited a couple recent converts the Elders had! We taught a new member named David about the doctrine of the Soul and how we are blessed both spiritually and physically when we keep the commandments! He still struggles with smoking, so we pointed him to the Savior and his Atonement and how he always allows us to heal both spiritually and physically! He's trying to go to the temple so hopefully the Elders are able to keep helping him! We also shared a video with him that also talked about how we can be a "light" to others by the things we do and the things we say! He was a really sweet man! We took a picture with him as well! While leaving, we talked to some guy who claimed he wasn't Christian (he told us he was Catholic) and how he didn't believe in Christ (even though he had a tattoo of Jesus on his forearm) so me and Elder Fontane were definitely a little confused 🤣.
After, we went and taught another convert of theirs named Ashley! She is really cool, and she's only been baptized for over a little a month now! She has pretty bad social anxiety, but the gospel has been able to help her out! We taught her about temples, baptisms for the dead, and the Plan of Salvation! She already knows a lot, so it was a good discussion! I'm super happy for her and I can't wait to see her go to the temple! While leaving, I ran into a man from El Salvador! While talking to him, I found out his family was actually members and that his cousin had actually just recently gotten back from a mission! I got his information and set up a time to try and plan something with him! After, we knocked a bunch of apartments up and either no one was there or/not interested! It was pretty miserable haha; me and Elder Fontane did have a pretty crazy experience though!
We knocked on this door and some man (I can't spell or pronounce) from China opens the door and is ecstatic to see us! His English wasn't the best, but he rambled on to us about a bunch of things! It turns out that he was actually a member of the church and that he had been baptized in Salt Lake City while living there! He wasn't currently active, but he wanted to start coming back so that he could help serve others! He also told us that he has sons who have not been taught or baptized before, so he wants the missionaries to teach and baptize them! Me and Elder Fontane were definitely caught off guard but also excited at the same time! We set up a time for the Elders to meet with them the following day, so hopefully it all goes well! After that and dinner, we went knocking and had no success! We went to this really modern apartment complex that was extremely difficult to navigate! We couldn't find anyone! I'm very grateful I get to work with the Latinos because they are so much easier to talk to about the gospel! Overall, I had a really good day with Elder Fontane, but I definitely prefer my area!
On Saturday, we began the day by working out and helping a member of the English Ward with a huge service project! He lives up in the mountains, so it was a bit of a drive! When we got there, we had to load up a bunch of boxes, shelves, frames, etc. that we had to load up in his Uhaul! We were pretty tight on space, so I had to get in there and organize the truck for them since I'm pretty organized 🤣; after, we had to help sweep the floors of the home and clean up the kitchen! Brother Johnson (the member moving) got a late notice that he had to move out of the house he was renting since a pipeline below the home had broken and they had to gut the foundation of the place; he was pretty stressed, but he was super grateful for our help! I can't imagine what he would have done without us!
After our service project, we came home and showered and planned out the day! After daily contact and visiting a couple people, we had a really good lesson at the chapel with Jorge and Alfredo! Brother Estrada was able to come and join us as well! We emphasized this lesson on the importance of faith and how faith requires us to take action and do things that are hard, and how it ultimately ends up blessing us! We read Alma 32 with them, and we explained to them how our faith needs to be nurtured through action! We explained to them the importance of reading in the scriptures, praying, coming to Church and doing the necessary spiritual work to grow spiritually! We also testified that faith leads to action and that action is what allows us to grow and be blessed! Jorge told us he lacks discipline and refuses to act even though he knows what he needs to! We pointed him to pray and invited him to keep some commitments (such as coming to church) that may be hard for him to do, but that will bless him! One thing I've learned during my time as a missionary is that action leads to motivation! There have been times in my life, and mission, when I did not want to do something! (A lot of the time actually) But through faith in the Lord and thinking about the future and the blessings that will come if I DO just act, I've been able to build discipline and do the hard things I don't want to do! Every time we do things that seem too hard/things we don't want to do but do them anyways, we are always blessed, and we always feel so much better about ourselves! I hope I was able to help Jorge (and Alfredo) understand this! If they could just choose to act and do the hard things that require them to act, their lives would be so much better and happier! The Gospel teaches us so many things, but it really does teach us the importance of acting and not waiting to be acted upon!
I've learned so many valuable life lessons that have forever changed my life! I'm so grateful for everything the mission has taught me! I pray that both of them can be blessed and receive the help they need! We can do everything we can do to help them and point them to the Savior/sources that give them the help they need, they still ultimately have to do their job! Overall, it was a really good lesson about faith, what faith is, how we obtain it and how it MUST be acted upon! We ended the night by inviting the rest of the friends we had to church and by trying to visit a couple of inactive members!
For Sunday, we had a pretty decent Sunday! I was able to watch my cousins' Farewell (Preston) on Zoom and he did a fantastic job! He's going to be an amazing missionary in Guatemala! I love how he taught us to look for things to be grateful for every single day and how the gospel allows us to obtain true happiness!
At church, we had four friends come! Alberto, Alfredo, Johnny, and Johnston came! This was Johnny's first time coming and he really enjoyed it! Pascual wasn't able to come, due to a family emergency, but he was doing good! Luis was working which was a bit of a bummer but we're going to meet up with him later this week! Cesar was out of town AGAIN so we're probably going to have to push back his baptism 😪; the biggest heartbreak of the whole morning was Jorge telling us he wasn't going to come. He had pulled up to the parking lot, but he backed out at the last second and left. It seriously breaks my heart seeing him do this to himself! I've tried so hard to help him, but he's not doing the things that he needs to do for himself! I'll keep praying for him and trying with him because the gospel would be such a blessing in his life! I just wish he'd make better choices! I can love him, guide him, and show him where he can go for help and what WILL help him, but he ultimately still has his agency, and he still has to make choices for himself; I really am learning early on how to be a parent 😂.
After Sunday school, we had Sacrament meeting and during the sacrament meeting, I was asked to introduce myself and bare my testimony! After church, we had a pretty funny lesson with Johnston! He wanted to read the Bible with us so that's what we did! He brought up some random scripture in Psalms that explains how there has to be "loud music" when worshipping God during church! We explained to him the importance of reverence and how the Holy Ghost only communicates to us in a "small, still voice"! We shared 1 Kings 19:11-12 with him to help him better understand this principle! We also explained to him a little more on how our missions work, how members of the church can be married to those outside of the faith (just not sealed) and how families can be sealed together! Johnston is a super funny guy, and I always enjoy our conversations with him! He knows a lot about the scriptures, so we always are learning something new together! He interprets the scriptures in interesting ways at times, but we have been able to better help him understand restored doctrine! Hopefully, one day he can be converted to the Restored Gospel; it might take him awhile, but I believe he can get there one day!
Afterwards, we had our missionary correlation meeting and then I worked on some of my plan! I set goals for my future and I'm preparing myself spiritually, physically, and mentally to end my mission! After dinner, we went and talked to Blanca and German really quickly, but they were pretty busy! We said hi to Joel before he had to head out to work! He was once again grateful for all of his blessings he had received and for what we do as missionaries! I love how positive and grateful Joel is! He inspires me to become better and look for the good in this life! Afterwards, we visited with one of our friends named Luis! He had been taught by the Elders in the past but had to be dropped because he wasn't progressing. While visiting him, he told us that he had been going through some tough times with him and his wife. We talked about his past experiences with the missionaries and how he had been blessed by listening to the missionaries. We talked about faith and the power of repentance! We read Alma 34:32 with him to help him better understand that we are all preparing to meet God right now! We explained to him how the Doctrine of Christ allows us to live with God again! He said he really wants to go to church and that he has a huge desire to repent and become better! We are going to start visiting with him again so hopefully he can progress this time around!
For Monday, we began the day by working out and having District Council! We talked about the importance of avoiding contention while others are contentious with us! Applying Christlike attributes in our life and striving to live like the Savior blesses us so much! It allows us to not only be happy/feel better about ourselves, but the lives of those around us are blessed as well! After district lunch at In-n Out, we came back to the apartment to do daily contact! Afterwards, we went and found a couple people! We always go up and down one street we have in our area since that's where most of the Latinos are haha! I had a guy named Antonio who didn't want to talk to us, but I was pretty bold with him! I told him to give us just two minutes and he eventually folded! We testified that God is our loving Heavenly Father and that Jesus Christ is our Savior, Redeemer, and the Son of God! We explained to him the Book of Mormon and read 3 Nephi 11:8-11 with him to explain Jesus Christ and his Atonement and how he can be a light to all of us. I testified that God loves us and that the message we teach blesses lives! He seemed pretty interested afterwards, so I think my boldness might have worked!
After dinner, we had a really good lesson with Pascual! Hermano Packard was able to join us and help us out! We showed him the, "For God So Loved the World," video and then we taught him the covenant of baptism! We went over the four things we covenant with God when we are baptized and the blessings we receive in return! We bore our testimonies on how covenants with God have blessed our lives and how the gift of the Holy Ghost allows us to feel happiness, peace, joy, etc. and how it also teaches us as well! We shared Galatians 5:22-23 to explain the "fruits" of the Spirit and afterwards we shared John 14:26! We bore our testimonies on the Doctrine of Christ and how following Jesus Christ and having the desire to be his disciple is all he asks of us! We invited Pascual to be baptized on the 20th of July, and he accepted! We helped him understand that every time he is with us, he is feeling the Spirit and how the Spirit testifies of truth! We also explained eternal families and how we are a family/community of followers of Christ! He is so prepared, and I'm so excited/blessed that I'll be able to be here for his baptism! We are going to keep helping him and we are going to make sure he is 100% ready to be baptized in three weeks! We ended the night by teaching English Class and helping them understand the importance of the principle of enduring to the end!
On Tuesday, we began the day by playing pickleball and working out! After finishing our studies, finishing daily contact and contacting our referrals, we went to the library to teach our friend Luis! He was going through a bit of a hard time, so we helped him out by hearing him! A lot of times people just need to be heard and understood! After hearing what he was going through, we felt inspired to teach him about the Resurrection and the Gospel of Jesus Christ! We went over what the Celestial Kingdom was again and what the doctrine of Christ was and how it allows us to obtain the Celestial Kingdom! We explained to him about faith in Jesus Christ, how we obtain it, and how it is a principle of action where we are required to do things! (Such as reading the scriptures, praying, etc.) We also explained to him repentance and the steps that are needed to take to repent properly! Afterwards, we explained to him the symbolism used during baptism and the significance of the Gift of the Holy Ghost! We used a wristband to explain to him the difference between the Holy Ghost and the Gift of the Holy Ghost! After, we read Act 2:38 and explained to him how baptism has two parts! We explained to him the principle of enduring to the end and the importance of the Sacrament/keeping the Sabbath day holy! We bore our testimonies on the Atonement, the Gospel, and the Plan of Salvation! He definitely is starting to comprehend and understand better what we are teaching him! We helped him set a goal to read and pray every single day so that he can prepare himself for his baptismal date for August 3rd!
After, a bunch of our lessons fell through (as always), we spent a lot of the day finding! We were able to find a couple cool people so hopefully they can progress! I talked to a cool guy from Niger who had just recently gotten here from Paris! He wasn't interested but we talked about our times there since we've both been over there! Afterwards, we continued to find a lot since all of our lessons had been canceled! We taught a nice guy named Jessie about the Plan of Salvation and our purpose here on earth! We also taught him about the Book of Mormon and its witness of Christ! Afterwards, we found another really cool lady named Rosario! She wasn't really interested at first, but she definitely opened up after sharing the Book of Mormon with her! I love sharing 2 Nephi 25:26 with people to help them understand the Book of Mormon! She had a really good understanding of repentance, so she loved the principles of the gospel as well!
Afterwards, we had dinner with Brother Martinez! He's the Stake Patriarch (Spanish speaking) so I was able to talk to him about his experiences he's had as a patriarch and how he prepares to give blessings! He told me he prepares by reading, praying, and avoiding things that draw away the Spirit! Very similar to how my Grandpa George prepares! To end the night, we taught Andres at the park about the restoration and the story of Joseph Smith! He's a really cool guy! I bore my witness on how the restoration has blessed my life and how through the prophetic calling of Joseph Smith, we have received the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and all the blessings that are associated with it! As we study and try to learn more about the restoration, we truly do understand how important it was, the necessity behind it, and the truthfulness of it! I love studying and trying to understand more every day! His dog was going crazy during the whole lesson, but we were able to help him stay focused 🤣: We ended the night by stopping at the gas station and saying, "What up?" to our guy who works there! We've built a pretty good relationship with the guy since we go to the gas station so often! He's a super nice guy from India (I can't spell his name out) and he's always giving us good deals!
-Elder Copeland
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