WEEK 77 (CORRECT) *80

For P day we didn't do much; kind of a boring P day tbh; we just went to the church and played some basketball! I was able to catch up on my emails and stuff! After going shopping, we tried visiting a couple people but none of them were home . Luckily, Edmond was home and we were able to talk with him! We made sure he was ready for his baptism the upcoming Sunday and read from the Scriptures! 

On Thursday, we weekly planned and visited a couple people! 

On Friday, we had to do a mentoring session for Elder Rushforth! Afterwards, we went and found a couple people! We ended the night by playing soccer with the ward! I'm terrible at Soccer but it's always fun to spend time with the ward! 

On Saturday, we taught Alexandra! We talked about the Plan of Salvation and the importance of the Doctrine of Christ! We bore our testimonies on the importance of Baptism and how covenants bless us! We invited her to come to the Baptism of Edmond and she said she would! After finding a couple more people, we visited Edmond to make sure he was ready for his baptism the following day! He was ready to go and was excited for his baptism! 

On Sunday, we had Stake Conference! We went up to a chapel 45 minutes away from where we lived! We didn't end up inviting our friends to church due to the travel haha! Wesley Thompson (my first trainer in the Mission) was at the Stake Conference! It was pretty crazy to see him again! It made me realize how long I had actually been out here! After Stake conference, we headed back to our chapel to plan out the baptism for Edmond! We printed out the pamphlets and set up the room and invited our friends and ward members to come! We ended up having a really great baptismal service! Sister Trochez gave a really good talk about the covenant of Baptism! Afterwards, Elder Rushforth was able to baptize Edmond! It was his first time baptizing someone! He actually did a really good job and it went incredibly smoothly! It was super satisfying seeing Edmond finally getting baptized! It took a while to get him there but it was worth it! It's still crazy to think we found him by calling him and inviting to Church! After his baptism, we had a testimony meeting while Elder Rushforth and Edmon were changing! We heard some awesome testimonies but the one that stuck out to me the most was Gabinos! He bore his Testimony on how me and Elder Perschon changed his life and how he was able to find the Gospel through us! It was one of the most special moments of my mission! It really made me realize that I have accomplished more out here than I often give myself credit for! I'm so proud of Gabino and how dedicated he is to church and the Gospel! After the testimony meeting, Andy was able to confirm Edmond and give him the Gift of the Holy Ghost! During the service, Alexandra and her kids came! They acted a little crazy but they were able to go outside during the confirmation! Alexandra really enjoyed the service and let us know that she was ready to be baptized the following week! It was a great service and I'm so proud of Edmon and his desire to be baptized and confirmed! Afterwards, we cleaned up the chapel and went to Nigh Church! 

On Monday, we had Zone Council! We talked about the importance of teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ simply! After my final DC as a District leader! After District Council, we decided on doing Weekly Planning too! We ended the night by visiting and teaching some of our friends and going to Noche de Hogar with Gabino! 

Tuesday was my birthday! I am officially 21 years old! That means I get to go to vegas now haha (just joking). My birthday was nothing special; We taught some friends of ours and had a really good lesson with Alexandra! We went over any last questions or concerns she had for her baptism the upcoming Sunday; she was feeling a lot better about it this time! We read from Moroni 7:27-31 and talked about how we can have and receive miracles in our lives as long as we have faith in the Lord and keep the commandments! After a couple more contacts, we ended by having ward council with Hermano Perez and then having a Birthday Dinner at Chick-Fil-A with a bunch of the members in the ward! They threw a surprise party for me and even decorated the Chick-fil-A! Andy, Mario, the Sister Missionaries, Jared (the son of Hermano Perez: He's hilarious) Juventino, Angel, and a couple of friends of the Sisters came and celebrated with us! It was super sweet of them and I had a really good time! They even brought me a cake and sung Happy Birthday to me! It was a good time! A lot of other people were able to shout me out for my birthday! I'm so thankful and so blessed with my family and friends and those who God has blessed me with in this life! 

-Elder Copeland